The Struggle of One

For countless years I fought a war
Against an enemy unknown, unfamiliar to me
I know I have to fight
But I don't exactly know why

And the more I tried to understand
To strike with all my strength
To bring down the enemy
In return, I won nothing but mere frustration

Yet I did not stop; something within me
Drives me whenever I fall
Whips me, kicks me like a beast
That deserves punishment upon any rest I have

And the cycle goes on and on
Without a moment to pause
Not even giving a break when I sleep
Returning in the form of nightmares to haunt me

Aye, when I looked back into the years
that passed behind me and turned into the past
Tides of turmoils is what I see
And I was tired, yet I couldn't stop

I have to be grateful
For all the hardship, all the pain
Had shaped me into something
That, right now, stands in my shoes

Then it occured; within gratitude
I experienced something bitter - regrets
Mistakes I did, Chances that slipped
All like smooth silk which my hand couldn't grasp

I saw something within the darkness
And I have no idea what it is
But somehow it was something familiar
And it is part of what my enemy was

Through the dull vision I saw a glimpse of shine
A mirror, surrounded by curtains of whirling smoke
I was confused, my heart ridiculed
Was this what I fought for all these years?

Filled with curiosity, I stepped ahead
With both hands I pulled away the curtain
And surprise there was for me, within it
A reflection, none other than mine

Dumbstruck, I don't know whether to cry
Or to laugh for being the fool I had been
Had known better but had ignored that
No enemy is greater than One's own self

Within my heart, like a dagger strikes
There was pain; pain of the truth
The price to pay for the answers
Yet it has relieved me from my cruel sentence

Like a key to the lock
That for years, binds me with questions
I've begin to understand the reasons
Of the struggle I've been through

Desire, Arrogance, Ignorance
Of denied Truth accepted on surface
Like strings that are tied to my hands and feet
Swaying to the haunting melody on the stage

I sat down, tired and depressed
I had enough, but there's no stop to it
For finally, this neverending War shall break
Both me and my enemy, the moment we cease to breath