Dissident (For L.M.G. Who Does Not Believe In Rhyme) Poem by Martin Patrick McCarthy

Today I set aside my rhyme,
I trade in my sabre for a club,
To iterate the wrods in my heart;
I feel dissonant today.

And what a heart it is;
Pining, mournful, pondering
Ridiculous thoughts.
Broken emotions and abandoned dreams
Multiply into unbearable regret.
'Oh past days that never were,
Thou would'st brought me a brighter future.'

I sit underneath the mighty oak today.
Tall, majestic, righteous... solitary, old;
Its mighty roots allow no other trees to grow.
'Tis well-rooted, yet alone.

Today, I am still a dissident
(Though my belief is wavering)
I continue to paddle against the current
And go against the grain of society.
I continue to fight to do right, but I must ask:
'Is it good to be well-rooted if I will forever be alone? '

(26 December 1994)