Willing Serfdom Poem by Paul O'Brien

Within the confines of my once strong soul
A burned and pillaged land is all that remains
An army of brigands, small and weak at that
Took it upon themselves to spread their corruption inside of me
To assault my citadel, to usurp my reign
What remains lays broken, but there, still there
And I sit upon my throne as a child would sit upon a hill
A façade of a leader, only obedient to you
My oppressor, whom I willingly let subjugate me
My heart, which I willingly gave to you
Do you not remember? Or did you crush it by accident?
No, your ignorance leaves you in a fog
Your eyes reflect humiliation, body stiff and proper
Your mind is nothing, nothing but a hub of basic human necessity
Though more human than I; a wild beast tamed by your attention
The oppressor I bow to, the love that I most desire
Why haven’t you ended me yet?