Looking Glass Witch

We all pretend; some act it well…
We know what’s going on. 
But can you claim you broke the spell—
the looking glass response?

For how we think, the words we say
are what our peers expect;
And who they trust and how they pray
loops back what we project. 

The mutual dream we call our song 
but sure we do not own;
the dream that we all sing along
eclipses what is mine alone. 

It’s long ago the open child
that I was once-upon,
a time before conditioning’s cutter 
cooked cookies of my songs. 

Ah, how I long and how I wish
that I were young again
and knew the game, the taming witch
who stratified my brain. 
~ John