Changed

Once I was frank. Now people call me Jake,
The bastard dotard in a leotard
(I have it printed on a plastic card),
A joker and an unrepentant rake,
Complacent when compared to a dead snake.
I do fight dirty, but I don't fight hard
(My body's clean, now, but my soul is marred —
I've been living in Hell, for heaven's sake).

It's a mistake to think you could change me:
You'll shake and quake until you feel quite ill,
Not faking, waking up, taking a pill,
And seeing me more realistically:
Forsaking goodness, scarred as I can be,
I left my pure heart on an outdoor grill.

Instincts Unchecked

I am filled with rage, and I am filled with light,
My honour sinks and rises, climbs and falls,
My heart is open wide, my heart builds walls,
The garden blooms in beauty, dies of blight,
I yearn to make my choices, wrong and right,
I rest contentedly, I pace these halls
Practising silence and mallard duck calls,
And promising you safety, but I bite.

You won't know what you should expect from me,
And I won't know it either. I expect
We'll live in terror, my instincts unchecked,
Your fears confirmed by my strange contumely.
Regret comes cheap, costs plenty, and is free.
We'll know tranquillity, and peace is wrecked.