Control Is Only An Illusion

A thin film covered my eyes

Through it, I saw what the puppet master wanted me to see

I let him hold the strings

I danced, cried, laughed, and lived as he wanted me to

 

He held the power

Because I gave it to him

Freely, without reservation

Take my life in your hands and I will do as you wish

 

He’d build me up

I’d see beauty all around me

I’d laugh, smile, and love with all I had

Feeling like I could fly

 

Then just when I thought all was well

That I had my happily ever after

He’d tug on the strings

And, I’d fall flat on my face

 

Cry now, weep for I have brought you low

I can make you soar

And I can send you to the depths

Yearning for light and and life

 

I’d start to find my way out on my own

But then he’d come to me

With one hand stretched out

And the other holding the strings behind his back

 

Forgive me, for I have been a fool

You know I love you, don’t you?

The remorse would always seem so real

And I’d give in each time

 

But one day, it finally happened

The cord was broken

And at last I had a chance to run

Be free of the master’s control

 

Now that I am free

I see my bonds were of my own making

One should not be able to control the fate of another

Should not hold sway to what another’s heart and life does

 

I am me again, just me

I took my life back

My heart beats now within my own chest

The strings lay miles behind me, severed

 

Love is powerful and beautiful

I have come to see this

But only when it’s not used as a weapon

To “control” another to do your bidding

 

When it is true, strong, and real

You work together

Put each other first

As I have found one who does this now

 

We work together

Not against one another

Neither of us is at the mercy of the other

Free to walk about and see the light

 

That’s as it should be

Walking together

Hearts exposed

But never taken away from the other

 

Never again will I allow another to hold my life

In the very palm of their hands

Not a lover, friend, or family member

For you see, control is only an illusion