the prison is huge, so massive in fact,
that it covers the span of the whole Earth
most of mankind is trapped inside it's chipped gray walls,
stained with the weariness of age
though I have heard some say the walls are a brilliant blue,
and from others that they are a rosaceous red
a few even claim the walls are a gregarious green
the color, I suppose, depends on the medium through which
one perceives

the prisoners who inhabit this prison are
a rowdy and strangely elated bunch,
notorious for their infamous parties
during which they are strung out on pot
and intoxicated with liquors of their own concoction

every day, before the party begins,
the prisoners are given a period of 'free' time
during this period, they tread up the beaten path of conformity
because that is the only road they believe they can take
at the end of this road is a building
and in the building is a single, extravagantly large room with gray walls
(I have heard some prisoners assert the walls are a yippie yellow)
there in that room the prisoners assemble, and one self-appointed teacher
lectures the millions of prisoners on subjects ranging from:
Determining the Ideal Factitious Facade to Wear
How to Effectively Stereotype
Crafting a Judgmental NOT a Judicious Judge

after hearing a lecture, the prisoners feel enlightened
and contently skip down the beaten path of conformity
to their jail cells, where they sit and sigh
and gaze at the bars that trap them inside with
unfortunate, content smiles

most prisoners hold the keys to their freedom
but escape from the prison
is a frightful thing
it is a dangerous thing
fear and danger don't bode well with these prisoners
so, they dismissively dump their keys
in the trashcan along the beaten path of conformity
and forget they ever possessed the means
to save themselves from a desolate end
in the gray or blue or red or green walls
of the prison

I'm ashamed to admit
I, too, have thrown out my keys
...
have you?