The Things I Left Behind for Power

I traded dreams for gilded thrones,

For crowns of gold and hardened stones.

The laughter soft, the love so true,

All faded fast, obscured from view.

The hands that held me in the night,

I let them go for fleeting might.

The voice that called me, warm and kind,

Is now a ghost I left behind.

Each step I climbed, the air grew thin,

But whispers praised the wars I’d win.

The higher I rose, the less I could see,

Of the ones who had always believed in me.

The mirrors glint, a stranger’s gaze,

A soul consumed by ruthless haze.

The power I sought, it gleamed so bright,

Yet dimmed the stars that lit my night.

Now riches pour like endless streams,

But I am haunted by their gleam.

For what is gain, and what is loss,

When love is left to pay the cost?

I built an empire, tall and wide,

But who will stand here by my side?

The things I left, the things I sold,

Were worth far more than crowns of gold.

If power’s price is hearts betrayed,

I’d turn back time for what I’ve paid.

But here I sit, alone, confined,

With all the things I left behind.