Bars cast vertical shadows on my skin

Cold steel sends chills down my spine

Shackles echo in the shivery silence

I hear the shrill voices of my captors

A chorus of cruel laughter

Amused by my confinement

It was a sin to fly

To take a glimpse at cloud nine

To hope that I could reach such fantastical heights

Yet I dared to soar

With my wings outstretched in rapture

Yearning for paradise

I was almost there

A sweet lie I told myself

Still dreaming as I fell

One raven feather at a time

Plucked slowly and painfully

Scattered beneath me

Remnants of an illusion

The torture commences

Phantom parasites crawling beneath my skin

Screams drowning in tears

Distorted visions clouding my memories

Reality choking the life out of me

Fighting

Gasping

Bleeding

Dying

I reach out with all my strength

My hand hits the thick steel bars

The space shrinks

The lock freezes in time

I remain caged

In an inescapable prison

Trapped

Alone

In my mind