i take the time to reminisce
my umbrage clasped inside my fist
how palpable this silence is
yet no-one knows I’m listening

this isolation holds me down
my fledging feathers make no sound
my pummeled heart won’t seem to pound
i wonder if i’m breathing

the warden stands with knavish care
to repel the people who aren’t there
peccadillo in his stare
behind these bars i’m hiding

my tawdry smile hides skittish fears
his tirade burns my tired ears
pendulous hang these useless tears
escape is nowhere near me

a smudge across my tired lids
blind me from what true love is
i hear the sound of laughing kids
innocence no longer exists.