Bitter Hemlock

i would rather drink bitter hemlock, or walk naked into the night... would rather starve in the streets of Haiti, amid the cholera and despair. would rather hide in unknown caves from the bombs that split the earth. would rather rot in a prison cell, staring forlorn through the bars. would rather work in the sweatshops or pick cotton with the migrant workers. would rather take a bullet, swift, and hard, and final! would rather stand at the gates of hell with every mistake i've ever made. than to open this door, and say nothing, and watch you walk away.