Trapped

I walk down a bleached tile hallway In the cold, sterile world for the elderly and mentally disengaged There is nothing but the flickering synthetic lighting, Synchronous beeps, and the occasional moan The smell of staleness is in the air I come to a room Where an old lady Mutters and mumbles In a dazed, secluded state while her arm Makes a brief, weak attempt at reaching beyond And she says that she cannot see out of her Beloved cabin window anymore Long seconds pass in a timeless zone While her arm drops and she becomes silent The nurse forces a smile and gives a Pitiful attempt at sympathy for the family members as she walks away The group gathers around her Weeping for the death that will soon occur But no one cares about the true matter at stake When I look at her, I see a blushing, young lady Pounding, screaming, clawing desperately To escape from her bodily prison Made from layers and layers of different skins Like a chameleon worn with hardship, pain, and grief For no one can see what she plainly states In an insightful, poetic sense Except for me She is trapped My breath catches in my chest as I delve into the vastness of her soul I am in an enclosed room made entirely of windows Watching my life travel past me in a high-speed train I yell in horror, ripping and tearing But no one hears The lady suddenly turns her head And her watery eyes meet with mine before another beep occurs And I see the light Do not stray from your life And watch as it passes you in time’s elusive carriage Speak! Speak I say! Hold tightly to your dreams and what is dear Or they will disappear into the grave where all dead dreams go As you feel the unrelenting fires of remorse