Waiting For a Hallelujah

This lonely language of silence— An unending soliloquy in the mind’s dark forests Where pain and misery grew, and nobody knew Nobody ever hears the growth of agony or pain They can only see it when it has already begun to destroy us. The obscured gestures of the truth— The insidious signs if we look close enough to see Where the end of a smile is the start of an arduous mile. A solitary journey nobody ever sees you traveling, Until the internal damage is done, and you return changed. Have you seen my afflictions lately? I have tried to see yours as I venture to understand How your eyes don’t reveal the stories you conceal. As we simultaneously meander our deserted lands The world cannot see us slowly fade. But our grey forests flourish and bear poison fruit— The welcomed addictions to our sweet misery For which we insist, although God demands us to resist But the more time passes, the more comfortable We’ve become with the promise of hopelessness. I must confess, I prayed especially hard for you one day When you were dragging your spirit inside your flesh Which was destitute despite what your words refute Faith helped me find you through all the trees There you were, waiting for a Hallelujah on tired, bloody knees. Copyright © 2023 Patrick Barry All rights reserved