The Green Mile

What is love,

If not a feeling,

To me, it is a death sentence,

The imprisonment of your former self,

Love is supposed to set you free,

Not serve as a punishment,

Handed down by your own jury,

For a crime, you weren’t aware you committed,

Love should bring joy and peace,

Not rob you from who you were destined to be,

Love should not hurt,

Or cause you any pain,

My heart should be filled with bliss,

My days should be short,

So long as I am wrapped in your arms,

Not everlasting, immutable despair,

I should only feel dread and misery,

When we are apart and I’m not in your embrace,

Not in your presence filled with echoing silence,

I shouldn’t have to be left praying for the moonlight,

I should be able to surrender my head to the pillow,

When it’s lights out at the penitentiary of heartache,

I should be able to lay my troubles to bed,

Leave them in the yard where they belong,

Behind bars and barbed wire fences,

Guarded at gunpoint at the watchtower,

Shot on-site if they try to break free,

Take refuge from the trainwreck,

That forces me to disentangle,

But for now, my dreams are my only escape,

The harsh truths of reality hold me hostage,

The loss of us and my way to reminisce,

In what we used to be,

Face the music and my terrifying fears,

I know when I wake visiting hours are over,

I will face another day of my life sentence,

Behind the bars that encage your feelings for me,

I will forever be handcuffed to this painful memory,

Feeling like a criminal having to steal a glimpse of happiness,

Feel guilty to smile or move on with my life,

I plead not-guilty I’m innocent I swear,

No probation, no parole,

You are the warden in control of my heart,

The way you used to be and the way we once were,

Leaves me feeling like I live my life,

One day at a time in the hole,

Lonely solitary confinement,

With no early release for good behavior,

Contempt, the murderer of our love,

Should face the death penalty,

Instead, I know each day is like,

Walking another stretch to the electric chair,

Down the Green Mile of misery without you.