Separated by bars of time;

No key to unlock cold cell doors

That hold me still, so very, very still

With eyes wide open and frozen

But bleary with truth incarnate

That rattles my spine horridly.

There, behind curtains, lies the prize

For which I have become captive

Due to strenuous teachings old

And lines upon paper speaking,

No, laughing, beyond those icy bars

Constructed from unloving sighs.

Here, now, the dim light is my own,

Shrouding me from insanity

As through the key hole I call out,

, but the sound does not break

The inky shelter of knowledge

That builds a dome around fine ears.

A fire lights within my belly

To warm my fists enough to curl

Into rebellious balls of strength

That twitch with impatient courage

While chained feet inch forward and scrape

Dust and grime off the dungeon floor.

My confined space does roar with rage;

Temporary, triumphantly,

Blankness start to slip away with

The force of sheer trust for justice

Wound now in the brittle metal,

Allowing for a grin and faith.