If You Knew Me

Through the Prison Bars

Every shadow a memory,

Every bar a story,

Every bit a stone.

I feel Loss,

Anger,

And Despair,

Wrap their iron fingers around me,

Choking me and crushing my bones.

Those black bars surrounding me

Drawing black scars upon my soul—

No matter how hard I try,

Escape eludes even the best of me.

My captor will not relent;

He holds me fast,

And every time I glance upon his face,

I suffer.

I know why I am here,

Why he is there,

But it doesn’t make the burden any easier to bear.

I am caged and confined,

Doomed to decay in darkness,

Even though I plead and scream for light.

But the sharpest knife to pierce my heart

Comes as I look through the prison bars,

And I see what has slipped through my fingers—

Happiness,

And the hope of a better life.

They parade past me,

Just out of reach,

Taunting me with memories of what I used to have.

But as I hang my head,

And feel a tear drip down my hollow cheek,

I know—

It was not to be.