Inside of Emptiness

My eyes are open but they see nothing.

Held there by claws of habit,

claws of carnivorous birds,

swooping down to kill their prey. 

Held there by the self-deprivation

that everyone thinks they know.

Held there against their will.

My mind is racing on an endless track.

Pushing forward on an empty tank,  

down a deserted highway.

Pushing forward on the empty promises

we build our lives around.

Pushing against its will.

My body is restless as the sea.

Turning over and back into itself

like children hiding from shadows

that they don’t know are their own.

Turning inside and back out

as if afraid to stay in one place.

Turning against its will.

My heart is trapped in an open cage.

Tortured by what is no more

and never again will be.

Tortured by the false hope

that only the meek can see.   

Tortured against its will.