The Rebel
Line of Inquiry:
"Neither desire nor aversion
Meditation our immersion
Conditioned beliefs discarded
Hymns we hum are our own version"
A child hears the words of an adult
whether from religion or a cult
and takes those teachings of witch or of Ruth
Incorporates them as Ultimate Truth
If fear-based is the method used to teach,
absence of fear will remain out of reach
Deep into the young one's psyche reaches
All that trusted adult to him preaches
If fire and brimstone do their job and scare
Life's goal becomes avoiding evil's snare
Then as he grows, experiences, ages,
those teachings steer him - Volumes are its pages
And as the days of youth slowly subside
what he was told remains ultimate guide
Until one day, contradictions arise
It seems the teachings are not quite his size
He questions concept of "one size fits all"
In rooms inside his mind, he finds a hall
He thinks - "If I go that way, I'll defy
As I'm sure nothing told me was a lie"
But something in his heart and mind and soul
says that maybe there's a Higher Goal
Maybe what is kind and good and dear
overrides - no! ..... tramples all that fear
He turns and takes first step that's his own way
Gently disregarding what they'd say
Copyright © Cheryl Hayden | Year Posted 2026
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