Cages of Conviction (villanelle)

[Mostly Holy]

"Cages of Conviction"

I step into a prison for the mind
Past gatekeepers that preach to me their cause
To follow is to follow one who's blind

A guide whose every dream is pre-defined
Who drowns all doubt in thunderous applause
Who stepped into a prison for their mind

Its wardens proud, its inmates self-confined     
We gild our chains, declare them holy laws
To follow us would be to follow blind

Along the path the censors have defined
Between echoing walls all doubt withdraws
As I step into a prison for the mind

A painted cage the Warden's mind designed
My purpose to his sly ambition draws
As I follow the commandments for the blind

That steer me to the Party line assigned
My chanted mantras blind me to my flaws
The prison I stepped into is my mind
I follow still, knowing I'm the blind

[CRNDLSM]

"Cages of Conviction"

I step into a prison for the mind
Past gatekeepers that preach to me their cause
To follow is to follow one who's blind   i like the subtle changes in the repeated lines while maintaining a steady rhythm
But im already confused, is this 3rd line the cause gatekeepers preach or is this a warning about following thise gatekeepers.  Gatekeepers preaching in a prison for the mind
A guide whose every dream is pre-defined are you the guide? Are the gatekeepers the guides preaching dreams?
Who drowns all doubt in thunderous applause are the prisoners applauding? Are the guides? Are you?
Who stepped into a prison for their mind 

Its wardens proud, its inmates self-confined     
We gild our chains, declare them holy laws
To follow us would be to follow blind these three lines seem to make sense together

Along the path the censors have defined censors made the paths in the prison? Or the cells? Paths led by gatekeepers guides?
Between echoing walls all doubt withdraws doubt about the dreams applauded?
As I step into a prison for the mind

A painted cage the Warden's mind designed the censors made the paths, the warden designed the cells got it
My purpose to his sly ambition draws great,  gonna find out the why for stepping into the prison 
As I follow the commandments for the blind okay, commandments? Dreams? 

That steer me to the Party line assigned party? Its capitalized so is this poem suddenly political?
My chanted mantras blind me to my flaws im trying 
The prison I stepped into is my mind yes I figured this
I follow still, knowing I'm the blind the convictions you believe are the cages you lock yourself in? I think that's what im getting?

I feel like the words are all very nicely read together, but coherency is out the door, too many different possible metaphors for what seems like a direct path. I wanna say use the repetition to your advantage, so the important things are driven in, anyways keep writing, thanks for posting, I love form poetry

[Mostly Holy]

Thank you for your kind words. Like all my attempts at a villanelle, I consider this close to a total failure, altho I had hoped it was at least clear, haha. I see now I have fallen well short of my aim, especially if you did not realise until the closing quatrain that this is a poem about politics and ideology! Oh well, back to the drawing board, at least you liked some of my imagery :joy:

Thank you again, this is exactly the kind of feedback I need to learn when to drop an idea that is not working, you have no idea how many revisions I have already made of this!