In the darkness
An inner light
Dim but ageless
Beyond is daylight
Through a window
Barred
Trapped
Inside
I quell the panic
Mindful
Of the small dim light
Until it grows
Illuminates the darkness
And the latch
To the bars containing me
I am free
Remembering the power
Of even a small dim light
Gentle current
Beneath the ice
Downstream rumbles
Break the crust
And I am freed
I can’t perch where the caged bird sings
But to her fearful trill
Take up harmony
This free bird sings so to keep her wing
These four walls
Do not a prison make
Nor is the light
Ever extinguished
Beyond the windows
The sun is bright
Inside this cell
My spirit is free
Barred
Unbarred
No difference
Constricted
Patterns of
Thought and being
Restricted
By others and
Self
Freed
First from
Within
Lead
Only when
Freed
Beyond horizons
Uncharted
Possibility
Gleams
So it is free
To revel in the details
The myriad forms
The endless possibility
Of discovery
Freedom
Ain’t never gotten with a dollar
Or no lawful decree
Not like a box car
Give to me
