Alisa Chen
‘Tis better to live one year as a lion
Than a thousand as sheep
These are the words
My mother would never say to me
The cellar of Safety is small
And she holds a tight keep
If I were for a lifetime to stay
For freedom I would weep
I’ll not be cowed into a corner to the end of my days
As all we remember of the old heroes
Is their heyday
Proclaimers of wisdom, for me do not weep
For I’ll not drink from your fountain of wisdom
Collected over a lifetime at Cowardice’s creek
Survivors may call me foolish
Their progeny may call me weak
But I’ll not buy pride from the world
At the cost of licking serpent’s feet
I’d rather stand among the ranks
Of lonely mountain peaks
For I’d trade hardship for a life of ease
But never at the expense of being free