life sentence

Tonight they will make us walk

barefoot

through the halls of this feeble language

until we are tired, cold

and disgraced

 

They will order us

to stop

They will blindfold us

first you, then me

and place us in front of the firing squad

As they gaze with contempt at our eloquence

 

And while we stand in front of those lifeless letters

As they take their aim

As they judge us

Our fervent hands will meet

fingers will grip each other

     crushing the silence

between our palms

 

We are partners in crime

 

You will turn to me, smiling

(I will imagine your smile)

with your mischievous eyes

(I will see them despite our blindfolds)

like you always do

when you have a plan.

 

“I know of a place,”

you will whisper,

“not far from here

where we can hide and read the night

Where no one will discover us

while we write, erase

and rewrite

our words

 

until we find

that perfect sentence

 

And there we can spend forever

whispering it to each other

until we are innocent

again.”