Fool’s Paradise
The words from fools surround us all—
they’re siren calls that can entice
our base desires, and thus we fall
into a world imbued with vice.
Like paradise, it can appear,
until your coveted career
or family ends up destroyed,
due to falling into the void.
Ego Death
My ego wants to be revered;
to be adored by all my peers,
because I don’t want to be jeered—
it is much better to hear cheers.
These fears are insecurity
and lack of a maturity.
My aim should be to please my soul,
the sole response I can control.
Paul Millan currently resides in Glendora, California. His work has appeared on Lighten-Up Online, and will appear in Westward Quarterly.
These two trenchant poems are concise warning lessons about character. The first one accentuates the point that we not only need to be wary of the bright lights, but also shows the effects on those around us. The second poem about the ego with the statement what should please the “soul” and that the “sole” responsibility is on one’s shoulders is well taken.