1st Stanza - Ben LaMar Gay

And yet he thinks

He manages to remain as silent steel would muffle pain

Being released in the distant darkness by strangers draped in identical clothing

Dissonent sounds ricocheted off of walls of grime and smut

Abducting the unfocused mind with black steel claws

And yet

He’s guided as silence by the rhythmic cadence of heartbeats and breath

Supplying comfort in his decision to flee

It was now time

The perfect space for squeezing out was soon to reveal itself

Any mistake would be a victory for the warden

Whose condescending laugh often resonates in the stale air of his prison cell

The word perfection is repeated during the mental run through of his planned

escape

The drops of water from the leaking pipes of his cell countdown the seconds

Elation overcomes him during the final moments

When he remembers the brilliance of a smile

That leaves his chest feeling like a cacoon full of 1000 butterflies

He thinks of his son

He hopes the escape will allow them to have one last moment together

So he can simply apologize

Give the true reason for the hell that has been placed between them

If the venture was successful

He’d willingly give himself up to the proper authorities

Knowing that the reconciliation with his offspring would free his soul

And the 1000 butterflies just in the time for the spring

His outer shell of flesh will be of no use anymore

500 chains will have the weight of just one feather

As the drops of water get slower and louder

The warden drops his pen

«Our boy is gone»