Invisible Prison

Labelled, collared and tattooed.
Claimed, owned and managed.
Paraded and displayed.
Even government certified.

What more can seal my fate,
trapped in a neat little
cage that society built,
that I walked into, without looking?

Like a modern-day prisoner
moving at the long end
of an electronic leash
I'm let loose – but only just.

Movements monitored,
Not just by 'central command'.
But by a whole society full of
gossipy and vicious 'jail guards'!

Amidst the piercing glare
of a million curious eyes
there I trudge along:
fallen, beaten and crushed.

It's a journey without end
and living without meaning:
Days filled with sighs,
giving way to nights of sorrow.

Only in my hours of slumber
does my spirit have respite:
when, night after night,
I dream of being free.

For plain, simple freedom
I shall gladly trade
all my worldly riches
and all illusions of grandeur.

Every prisoner knows
when her term ends.
But not I, caged by society,
and locked away by custom.

It's a life sentence
with no chance of parole.
The only way out
is to cross the Great Divide.

I hope I won’t have
to wait for much longer.

Already, it’s been too long.

14 February 2008