The Caged Bird's Prayer

Come for me,

set me free.

Invade the darkness

beside me.

Release these chains,

erase these stains

that fall like rain

from star-cast eyes.

***

A thousand endless nights,

tied up on strings for demons' delight.

And yet despite his woeful plight

shaking hands do their best to fight;

madness given life in soft graphite.

The door away from this terrible fate

locked behind an impenetrable gate.

Without a key, he can't escape;

the bars too thick, the walls too great.

The best prison he could ever create.

Within this nightmare forever he'll stay,

salvation but a lifetime away.

As the sun awakens on another day,

somehow they'll accept that he's okay

and leave him behind in yesterday.

Why does he lie, you may ask.

Why not simply remove his mask?

Once he shared that same belief,

but what happens now, if he lowers his cowl,

and there's nothing underneath?

***

Come for me,

set me free.

Invade the darkness

beside me.

A distant dove,

the moon above;

they savor a sky

that should be mine.

***

So, every story's been told before.

Again and again, forevermore.

Who knows what caused this heart to pour;

perhaps a hope to sprout wings and soar

above this gate and through that door

without the weight that ties it down-

this awful burden that leaves me bound

in sand almost deep enough to drown.

There's still a chance I might be found...

I only pray it's before sundown.

Come for me,

set me free.

Invade the darkness

beside me.

Release these chains,

erase these stains

that fall like rain

from star-cast eyes.

What's been done

I can't outrun.

Not without someone;

some radiant beacon

to restore the warmth

to my frozen sun.

Reviews

[leesa331]

Wow, your word choice is truly original and so genuine. My favorite works make me think about the authors thoughts and this one has rerunning the lines through my head and examining the meaning. Love the line "erase these stains that fall like rain" really amazing.

[Sazaku]

Thank you, I really appreciate it.

Word choice is probably my number one concern as I write and rewrite, so I always enjoy hearing when that effort comes through to a reader. Even after I post things, I'll usually read it one more time and end up making some last minute changes.

The line you mention came to me early in the draft, and set something of a tone for the rest. I really wanted every line to resonate as well as I thought that one did, and while I know I didn't manage that completely, it was well worth the effort to try.