I do not want.

I have listened
I have read
and I have determined
for myself
I do not want.

I cannot bow
to a supreme ruler
I will not
I simply
live for this life
this moment
these people
not a paradise in the sky
I do not believe.

I live for this moment
these people
all of us
I help when I want
I abandon
ideals and rulings
that protect
a flawed moralic sense.

I live for this
I do not await the after
I live in now
I live for here
I’m careful what I ingest
I’m careful not to harm
because we all have value.

I feel the guilt
of over consumption
as we survive alongside
the other animals
we raise to slaughter
for luxury
rather than growth.

I live for here
and I will not
bow to any
of your rulers
and your books
I’ll read
to build my argument
and if you must bless
at every goodbye
|’ll smile and I’ll respect
but I’ll never reciprocate
because blessings are only words
and in this place
actions matter the most.

If I’m wrong
and the ruler is waiting
at my death
I will stand
I’ll never bow
because violence
and a hateful heart
isn’t what I’ve lived for
I don’t accept their afterlife
I love and live for here.

Thanks for reading.
-Temperamentally Tina