A Worthless Pursuit (A Poem)

He's independent and proud of it,
Never stops for a minute to think
How it could be any different.
He cries while thoughts run circles in his head,
leaving him dizzy and dissatisfied.

We all need dependence,
Someone or something we can trust more than we can trust anyone,
We're crying for help, but there seems to be no answer,
Maybe we're looking in the wrong place.

He's lived the college life for years now,
Established his identity by the tattoos and piercings
He wears like a mask.
What if he stopped to think that he's not the answer,
To every silent question thrown at him:
"Are you different enough?"
"What's wrong with you?"
He's running but can't escape.
He hides behind a facade of distance,
But not even that can make him
Independent.

There is an answer to the obsessive compulsive disorder
That defines society.
They're working like slaves to be free and independent,
When all the time the one who can't be seen is staring them in the face.

He lies on his bed.
Thinking of what he could have done with his life.
"What could be different?"
"What happens after death?"
The tattoos show on his wrinkled skin,
Less like a mask now
And more like filthy rags.
He looks at his blackened arms,
And realizes that all his independence never set him free.
He sighs a sigh of deep relief,
And gives up his life hours before he falls asleep.
All he could do was die for his independence.