Society binds us in strictures of steel,

but the strongest sometimes break their bonds.

Observing the young may work to reveal

if they'll be knights, bishops, or pawns.

Sometimes Fate opens a door in their hearts,

and a path that lay hidden's revealed;

or a secret which newfound knowledge imparts,

that some curve in the road had concealed.

The choice which every human must make,

whether or not it's been planned --

may depend, in part, on the care that they take

while drawing their lines in the sand.

Which will they choose, when push comes to shove:

The love of power ... or the power of love?

Jim Dunlap's work has appeared in numerous literary magazines around the globe, including Candelabrum (Wisbech, England), The Paris/ Atlantic (Paris, France), Poetry Down Under/ Numbat (Perth, NSW, Australia), Blackmail Press (New Zealand), Sonnetto Poesia (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada), Alchemy Cove (India), a haiku magazine in Belgium, and in about 30 U.S. states at various times.  Jim is the Co-Editor of Sonnetto Poesia, and webmaster at Voices For Africa (a website against genocide).