Lock me up

And throw away the key.

But don't throw me away.

I recognize my wrongdoings

And I see where I have faltered.

I deserve these bars,

These beatings,

The concrete grey compared to the bright blue skies.

Sunny days will never kiss this skin again.

But I am still human.

A beating heart

And guilty eyes.

 

Separate me

From all society.

But don't isolate me.

I see what I've done

Every night in my dreams.

I scrub the blood that's not there

From my hands hoping to wash away my sins.

But I am not sorry for my actions.

What I did was wrong.

And I am guilty.

Lights out.

Lock down.

 

Silence me

And turn a blind eye.

But don't forget me.

I am still breathing

A living person

With needs and desires

So often forgotten.

Left to turn into an animal

Rather than maintain what makes me human.

We've become a zoo with these cages.

And these guards' voices

Became a lullaby.