"I Prefer Not To" (The Polite Revolt)

The circus of "shoulds" came knocking one day,  

Demanding performances, scripted and gray.  

But I just leaned back with a tip of my hat,  

"I prefer not to"―imagine that!  

Obligation once tied me in bows,  

A puppet who danced when they yanked on my nose.  

Now scissors in hand, I snip the last thread,  

"I prefer not to"―I want bliss instead.  

Your guilt-trip brochures? Returned, never read.  

Your crisis hotline? I’m back in my bed.  

The drama may writhe and the critics may scold,  

But I prefer not to―my script’s self-told.