i was a captive
who was locked
behind bars
that were forged
by guilt and shame.
my limbs were shackled
to a doomed destiny
which was
securely linked.
my arms and legs ached
as they dragged these
past faults;
my sins and flaws
made a heavy chain
that i brought around
everywhere.

the four walls
that enclosed me
had eyes
that witnessed
my sufferings
and ears
that heard
my stifled sobs.
each wall
cried out in pain
whenever i carved a line
on their skins
to mark the passing
of each dragging day.
i kept asking the wind,
“how much longer
until I am released
of these burdens?”

there i lay
waiting for death
because slumber
was the best memory I had;
i believed
anything was better
than what i underwent
in that living hell.
i yearned
for my last breathe
to make its way to me
so that maybe
i would have the chance
to finally be able
to rest my weary eyes
and slip into a trance
of nothingness.

then
suddenly,
You came,
and everything
changed.

a bright light
leaked through the bars
and shone
hallowed warmth
on my shame stricken face.
the weighty chains
that bound
my hands and feet
snapped like twigs,
and the markings
on the walls
that signified
how long i spent
in that forsaken prison
no longer bothered me.

i cannot wrap
my head around why
You
did such a thing
for a criminal like me,
a criminal
who was guilty
of all accusations
and is responsible
of more hidden offenses.
what did i do
to deserve
such grace?
You,
Perfection,
paid gave an exchange
to save
an abandoned
and foolish inmate
who built
her own prison
and locked
herself away
behind its barriers.
You paid
the precious price
of Your blood
to set me free and
allowed this jailbird
to break away
from my *******.