My right, my choice

My right, my choice

I will be master of what is mine,
I'll tame it to my cause,
I'll craft it in those fires divine,
And use it without pause,

I will stand upon the highest top,
Or walk an alley row,
Or steal across a wall, and stop,
And peer at those below,

I will weild it with my fiery skill,
I'll loom in shadows dark,
I'll hound my goal, and with my will,
Find solace in my mark,

I will carve a path through pages plain,
Quest into waters deep,
And stir it up, and search in vain,
For secrets it might keep,

I will whisper my sad tale, to those,
Who care to lend an ear,
And walk the path of which I chose,
With ne'er a hint of fear,

I will look out over lands so vast,
My mind can't comprehend,
The wonders of the now and past,
This time on Earth I spend,

Yet dear tempered steel, your sheen will dull,
My eyes will cloud with time,
We'll fall together, an empty hull,
Now that we're past our prime,

I could cling to you, with weathered claws,
Or slip you from my hand,
Relinquish myself to death's jaws,
And hope you understand,

For I'll be master of what is mine,
This life I call my right,
Walking a path both curst and fine
'Till darkness takes my sight,

I could run a mile, or stay a while,
Have family of my own,
Then watch a child, and sadly smile,
As they tred paths well known,

So when I do hear that tolling bell,
I'll choose how I shall go,
Be it heaven, or fear it hell,
It's mine and knowing so,

I will use it well, this, my last breath,
Give voice to this last line,
As I fade on my bed of death,
I'm master of what's mine.