Positivism Pete

You are a hard man,
slammed the door shut.
Single-mindedly fixated on power,
with an unquenchable thirst for it,
you closed off any alternative path
— seemingly.

Your vassals are steadfastly loyal,
blindly loyal.
They applaud you for your efficiency,
your effectiveness,
your productiveness,
your practical mindedness,
your wealth of knowledge,
your endless progress.
They identify with you
as their Lord,
their God.

Is there yet a turning ahead?
Is there still a slither of light
from underneath the closed doorway?
A subtle difference of shade?

Who sees it?
Are they the wayward ones?
Wrongheadedly,
perversely,
heading froward
on the path of progress?

You know how to clear them away,
ride over them.
You know how to seduce
with promises of power,
of status,
to keep your vassals loyal,
those vassals who delude themselves
that they are free.

But do the wayward ones
yet point the way forward
by walking fromward
to hazard a fresh start?

Do they find the key to reopen
the passage to freedom
you smugly thought
to have sealed off
once and for all?