The Warden’s Inquiry By Jim Gandolf

The Warden’s Inquiry

A Poem 

By Jim Gandolf

©️10072025

"Who have you ever loved?" the Warden sneers,

A whisper laced with manufactured fears.

Not truly seeking truth or tender past,

But measuring the bonds that break the fast.

For the joy of the Controller is the string,

Not woven softly, but meant to sting.

I do not love the person, bright and whole,

I love the power to command the soul.

I stock your pages, map your whispered trust,

I turn your loyal friends to bitter dust.

I know the gentle heart you gave away,

And that’s the rumor I will spread today.

My love is in the pattern I design,

The elegant destruction that is mine.

To see your scaffolded life begin to lean,

A domino collapse, a perfect scene.

The answer to that question, sharp and clear,

Is what I use to carve out your despair.

The affection you once felt, the simple grace,

Becomes the weapon pointed at your face.

For I have ever loved the feeling when

I press the lever, and I win.

The love I claim is cold, decisive, vast—

The thrilling control that will forever last.

Jim Gandolf