birdcage religion.

so slowly I'm losing
who I've sworn to be.
a promise in pencil
that years have made so hard to read.
I've spent my life building walls
brick by brick and bruise by bruise.
a birdcage religion that whispered me to sleep.

time is spinning silk
that coils ruthlessly;
with the devil's patience,
it binds my hands so quietly
that soon it becomes a part of me.

so soften these edges and straighten out my tie
and help me remember
the hope that i have compromised;
please be a broken record for me.

(sleeping at last)