forget what's important

forget who you are
forget all you did
forget all you fought for
forget what it took to get here
across from you
so forgetful of all we could ever bring
the person we've played at least some part in crafting
and the shape we can take from here on out
if there's any value intrinsic to it,
it'll have to be done with confidence
but then you run the risk
of offending those who are wholly against notions such as those
those that you own
and are unafraid to present
and just teeter along the tightrope toward what end
one where something is gained
or lost
for fear of what you might lose
forgetting what may be gained
by turning away
or staying the same
and being left with your principles
a ground, a foundation
upon which you can stand strong
but cannot be shared by all
a ground you found solid
that was slated to fade away by 30
at which point you learn to give in
forfeiting what made you noteworthy
one that shaped you
one that allowed you to settle
and recognize the ground others stood on
that ground is bound to sink
at 30
when we all learn to sink
swim for a time
and eventually drown
in popular opinion
where we hold our breath
for as long as possible
until finally, we need to give in
and learn to live in
the cloudy deep
thick with opinions you don't share
but have not the air to care about
rising above
remembering love
and the stance you had mastered
where you know if you can't stand on principle
and live by your own convictions
you painstakingly learn to live
drown
(breath)
and die
by the slim, shallow convictions of
others.