Dark Side

My dark side snidely remarked
"you're not the man you thought you were"
and he was right,
I'm worse.

I thought I cared for all
I thought love gave meaning to life
I thought truth was stronger than lies
I thought art illuminated the world.

My dark side snickered
"well you were a naive sort, weren't you?"
and he was right,
I was stupid.

I thought people are fundamentally good
I thought ideas really mattered
I thought reason would win an argument
I thought compassion would win in the end.

My dark side laughed
"how stupid can you be?"
and he was right
I am a fool.

My dark side sneered
"see, there's nothing left but me"
but my dark side is wrong
because I'm right
and my dark side slithers back
into the slime of mind.