CTO (Poem)

I've been required to obey
Not much room for defiance
Temporarily silenced
But surface I shall

If rhyme is my organising theme
How dare I do without?
If freedom is the lack of pills
Can I read my whereabouts?

If my opinion is entirely unsought after
Will I still refrain from sharing?
The most radical act right now
Is the act of caring

Feeling the vulnerability
Experiencing the pain
And going out there anyway
Knowing there's something to gain

To myself I seem feeble
To others I seem strong
Trudging along, I feel,
Is something of which I'm barely able

Out of practice at finding equilibrium
My quota for it too low
Seemingly stuck in a world of opprobrium
Oblivion is the thing I know

All those scary studies
Confirm my knowledge that it's not right
But I have no other insulation
Against my built-up fright