Pride and Glory

Pride and Glory

I have failed before, and I will fail again

Because I know, (Well, I came to know)

First by denial, then by utter reluctance;

Ultimately by strike of rude awakening:

It was a wretched scream without a voice:

Beseeching me to open my arms wide

Only to accept me; just to accept myself

Which I continue to fail...

To make a world understand who I am

Help them witness the treasure I possess

Through the beauty of my works of art

Relish what lies beneath the mask I wear

In return gives me strength to stand firm,

Gives me courage to hold my head high

That's the ultimate source of my pride.

After a long hiatus, through the windows

I see that my bygone glory has got faded,

They label me as a washed-up celebrity -

A comic book character wearing a mask,

Who is now old and has a bleating voice

With a family that he's no longer part of.

I sit with my head slumped in my hands,
"You are old, man. You're a crippled goat!
Smelling stench in this squalid little room,
Listen to me. It's over. You're screwed up.
You are no artist; you are a coward, man!
Get into that suit; get back what we've lost."
I lose control; fury and rage overpowers me
I am disappearing, vanishing into thin air.
"You are fake, an imposter. They will know."
Stop it! Please let me be. There is no "we"
Shut up! Argh! Get out of my freaking head!
Out of intense frustration, I pull my hair,
And bang my head hard against the mirror
Helpless and exhausted, I finally surrender.
"It's always 'we', man! Wherever you are."

*    *    *

All set to make a comeback in this time

With brave and bold new ideas of my own

I am embarking on a whole new journey

To achieve the goals painted my dreams

But I hear is sardonic laughs around me

They question the credibility of my talent

It makes the sorrow thrive without mercy

Burdening my heart which it cannot bear

The loneliness haunts me when it says...

"Wake up you miserable, bleating old goat!

How did we end up in this filthy cesspool?

You do not deserve this kind of aggravation.

Remember what you are, where you belong,

Wait until you see the faces of those who

Thought you were an old washed-up artist.

You tower over this jaw dropping greatness;

You are larger than life, man. You are a God

Saving people from their boring little lives!

Let us go back one more time to show them

What we're capable of with a grand overture

And the very next time you bleat..."

Echoes of my long lived dreams resonate

A hard hitting reality of my own manifests

With a snap of my fingers the show begins

A missile strikes, explosion across the street,

A dreadful monster circling above screeches

I take a big leap to fight that dreaded beast

Firing powerful laser beams through my fists

"This is what you are, where you belong."

A joyful smile fills my face with pride.

*    *    *

"This is it, man. The final act. Get out there;

Give it to them you mighty wrinkly goat.

Show them what you've got for the last time

And earn back what you always wanted,

What you alone deserved - pride and glory.

You are destined to soar above all of them.

Together we're unstoppable - a global force.

You're the best there is, the best there was,

And the best there ever will be!"

I win millions of hearts after the final act.

Next dawn, I sit on my bed, an encore begins;

I go to the window and gaze towards the sky,

Admiring its natural beauty I take the big leap

And they see me flying high up in the heavens.

For Birdman

Feb 09, 2016