Through Walls of Iron

A breaking soul at every stroke
Confronts the darkness with its eye
And ebbs away -with every hope-
At every pain, at every cry.

“Lost in darkness, I lie in shame
No light to reflect my silent tears
And no veil to hide the burning flame,
Kindled brightly with my fears.

“Through walls of iron, I hear a song
As if to wake me from my sleep
Or to lull me back to my bed
From where I cower, and dare to weep.

“The song speaks of places fair,
Of beauty and the coming day,
Of elves with jewels in their hair
Walking along the peaceful bays.

“But then I hear the bitter note,
The line of darkness ‘buried deep’
And I am here, all alone,
Already woken from my sleep.

“The last four lines I do not heed:
Happiness came and left again;
In a hope, and in a dream
The song had come to its end.

“And then I heard the voice once more
Singing of towers ‘strong and high’,
I tried to answer before it left
Me in darkness to forever lie.

“But the voice- it stopped when footsteps came
‘Thus left my last song of peace’
When then I felt the shock of pain
That woke me, surely, out of sleep.

“And this is the ending of the song
That I should lie in darkness deep?
Bear the scars of every pain
And feel the sorrow of every grief?

“I cowered beneath a violent stroke
In the darkness of my cell,
I recalled the lines of my home-
When came a defiant and incensed yell-

“I heard the thud of a heavy form
Then- the choking sobs of a friend
O could this be who sang the song?
Could this be a happy end?”