Liberating Shadow

I'm not an "educated" man
What story then
Could be told
Let alone
Relevancy

One lifetime
Three surnames
Foundational
"Identity"
Undefined

Conversely
Allegiance
Self-determined
Aligned within
While
External conflict
Rages

Accolades
Sweetly flavoured
Pitfalls
Enjoyed
For a 
Fleeting moment
 Then
Released
Before
Being dashed
Upon the
Fickle rocks
Of
Disapproval

Neither
Defines me
Neither then
My 
Undoing

"Unexamined life"
"Not worth living"
Though
In doing so
I'm 
Hard-pressed
To 
Recall 
Anything noteworthy

It's entirely
Possible
Whatever time
I have left
Might be
Best spent
Atoning
For acts
of
Omission
and
Commission 

While 
Endeavouring
To
Do no
Further harm