Silence reigns
Louder than the screams of the damned
As I walk through my own personal hell
and watch those around me, doomed
To their individual sufferings
They are not even aware
Of the price they pay to live
Does this make the price less?
Or do I just pay a higher price,
Knowing that I pay a price at all?
Ignorance is bliss
The fools around me who do not see
The suffering they must daily face
Is the cruel joke of an unkind Fate
Are happier with their world than I,
Because I know the price they pay.
Because I know, I can avoid the price
But that demands a price of its own
Being free of one brings a new price
The price of the knowledge
Of the burden that they must bear.
Watching them suffer and not know it
Seeing myself reflected as I once was
In their mindless ignorance
I was a happy fool until I learned
The price that all must pay for life
Because along with joy comes sorrow
Along with good comes evil
But because I can see the evil
The good no longer means as much.
I am consumed by the price I do not pay
And they are consumed without knowledge
Of the price they pay.
Which of us pays a higher price?