Above the surface

I've been there

I've been there
these caves know my name,
these scars bear me withness
I've stood on this same floor
the fragrance is still fresh
a world I know too well.

I've been there
these walls have my thoughts,
the echoes are still familiar
they ask why leave us
but it's time I moved on
on to the place that's new.

I've been there
where they thought I'd be,
the same place they kept me
I've been set free
free from darkness
so listen closely
I'm not going back.

I've been there
near the gates of torture,
where tears flow like the ocean
but where are those who said
you'll never love
I'm loved until the end.

I've been there
the sounds of broken souls
were my companions,
the voices of forgotten dreams
lulled me to sleep
but now, but now
they seek freedom.

I've been there before
where hunger was a norm,
where thought became death
where love lost her veil
yet I still stand
I still stand before you
I know where I've been.

I've been there before
in this furnace of fear,
where pain clawed at us
every day loves arise
to where I am now
all this I know
I've been there before.
© Adiela Michael Osiah