Shackles

“I am my own worst enemy. This, more than any other trait, proves my fundamental humanity.” Dean Koontz I know there is something bright above me I can feel its brilliance I want to rise above this earth to join it I can lift a few inches, but something is holding me back I try to break free I realize I am not just being held I am being grasped, tied, and violently restrained to the point that I am sinking into the dirt and the mud that surrounds me until all I see is black I feel my mouth and nostrils fill with muck I threaten to suffocate I desperately wish for light, for air and - there it is. Such Joy! I am again rising to the light. Why would I want anything else? But, I can only lift a few inches. Something is holding me back.