Caged

Another poem from the archives of my writing life...

caged

i wear protection
from psychic harm
in a tiny birdcage
on a chain wrapped twice around my neck
and still
i am assaulted
by dreams
cold fire
consuming me
as the looking glass melts
and my reflection drips
into the rotten floorboards
of my house of despair
i awaken
slowly and shivering
and flailing my arms
and waiting
for the clouds
to disperse from my eyes
there’s no sun
there’s no moon
there’s just me in my bed
all alone
and wondering why
i can feel my soul
wiggling
inside of me
searching for an escape
from this hollowed out shell
my sorrows are the blankets
that cover me
unseen
and hold all the broken
bits and pieces that scattered
when motivation lost
opportunity

and the crying
and the crying
and the bravery that feels like a fraud
the misplaced
happy face
that sits frozen in time
collecting loose ends of the prayers
that were mine
once
upon
a time

Sumayyah Talibah © 2011