Query

Gone is the sand the mirrors are consumed
Gone is the memory the feast all consumed
Gone is the garden the earth remains consumed
Gone is the rose the scent consumed
Gone is the gate the locks consume
Gone is the prisoner the systems consume
Gone is the citizen the tyrants consumed
Gone is the poet the stars consumed
Gone is the singer the sound consumed
Gone is the writer the conscience consumed
Gone is the heart the emotions consumed
Gone is the path the way consumed
Gone is the light the vision consumed
Gone is the silence the time is consumed
Gone is the past forever unspooled
and what is consumed does not fill

I am the weary traveler who has returned from a far exile
storied with ravages and penitence of deserted lands
I am a musician who plucks heart-sworn dreams
and mends the edge with spider silk strength
I am a woman prisoner of the state picking up
rocks each one moved a mile and back
I am a seamstress of words stitched quick to
your soul a pin stuck immoveable
I am a jailer who holds the key
but can never open freedom's door
I am the parchment with faded words of
meditations for the future country
I am you who lives in a prison within
and when restoration arrives you and I will weave heaven
I consume and am consumed at the end
a mirror made from sand

How long before the morning sun
How long before the breaths
How long before vengeance ends
How long before the nightmare fades
How long to heal the pain
How long before our lives are drained
How long before my sins are paid
How long before the crippled walk
How long before blind men see
How long before the women stand
How long until the storm is passed
How long before the birds sing
How long before time is served
How long before the chains break
How long before poetry changes your heart
How long