A towering wall stands, shadowed and high,
Guarding what little remains of my heart.
It blocks the warmth of the sunlit sky,
As I lie within, slowly falling apart.

With trembling hands, I placed these stones,
No soul beside me, no one near.
Each brick laid down as I toiled alone,
Hiding my pain, suppressing the tears.

Outside the wall is a hollow smile,
A practiced laugh for passing eyes.
But it’s been ages, a ghostly while,
Since joy was anything but a disguise.

Alone I sit within this tomb,
Afraid to let the light creep in.
For fear that love will bring my doom,
As it has to those who ventured in.

No knock resounds upon the gate,
No welcome voice to pierce the gloom.
So I sit beneath the heavy weight,
And let the sky cement my doom.

The loneliness drips like cold, black rain,
Seeping deep into this heart’s decay.
Here, within my self-made chain,
I’ll wait until the light fades away.