We Should Have Been Great

We could have been great,

With the world at our fingertips 

And the keys to the pearly gates,

Just a swipe of the screen away,

Activism and outrage simple behind the anonymous screen 

That stares at us from our open palms,

Open like the beggars on the street, 

Everyday reciting psalms that they think will save them, 

To whom surviving alone is an amazing feat, 

While the rest of us forget for whom we used to get our feet wet, 

Leaving those drowning far behind us, 

Barely a stray thought to spare, 

This time with fists closed, 

Ready to replay our angry song of of righteousness 

In desperate need of repair and with hardly a prayer left.

We could have been great,
Mold the world in our image,
Like a potter with wet clay,
Making something from nothing, 

Doing away with the fake, 
Fake, like the smile on your face 

When you tell me you love me,
And yet you fail to make sure that I'm fed, 
Because maybe you shouldn't have been a parent in the first place, 
It's such a disgrace 
That you can still show your face at my door, 
That door that I slam and you're left wondering why since, 

In your mind, you're the reason I have a door left to deface 

As you choose to grace me with your presence.

We could have been great,
Down with corruption, down with the previous generation's mistakes,
Shame on you for turning your backs on us,
Shame on you for the letting us inherit your mess ups, 
Like Jokanaan's head on a silver plate, 
Like the selfishness of Judas, 
Like the vengeance of the God you so desperately cling to, 
Still asking yourself what would Jesus do,
But if your lord and savior could see you now,
And yet you fail to see, 
Because blindness is an inherit trait in your kind, 
You couldn't see us if you tried, 
No, you'd only see us when we died, 
but then, don't you think, would be too late.

We could have been great,
But we choose mediocrity and ignorance over humility and compassion, 
Because we think it's cool to hate,
The egotistical muddy lens through which we view the world 
Trumps all kindness in our hearts and
Cause a regression to the dark ages of violence and self preservation,
A time of emotional and intellectual repression,
Forcing us to build walls held together by shame, 
The shame our parents felt for us from the start, 
A shame they won't admit, because like cowards, 

they're afraid of their own reflections, 
Not knowing that children are detectives of lies and the nonsense,
Wanting us to be the same as them while at the same time 
Seeking fame in eyes of the children they've let down, 
A generation of children left with nothing but frowns
And memories of pain.

We could have been great... 
But enough of coulds and shoulds; 

The imaginary tales we tell ourself 

Of a better future yet to come,
For what it is, 
Is an R-rated show that has just begun,
So sit back and relax,
For you have paid the price of admission,
Which has been approved for all audiences,
And so, with your permission, 
The show must go on 
But this is my curtain call, 
So don't talk to me about fate, 
Because I know for a fact

That we should have been great.