Red Tape

how much dying we must do, just to feel alive

This maze
An endless wall of bureaucracy
It stalls even the most intrepid dreamer
Doors wide open, cut off by simple tape

This tape
It hangs in the doorway, so as to create a grim smile
I stare incredulously at this cruel doorway
It stares back at me, with its cold grin

I recall the stairway to this door,
Long nights they were,
Each stair it’s own mountain to climb,
I recall the feeling of every night…

If there was ever a time when nothing was felt
No joy, no solace, no fear, simply continuity
If there was ever a feeling akin to death
It was the emptiness of those stairs

All for the life beyond this doorway,
Cruel the death we will endure to feel alive
But great is the joy found in victory
Greater is the glory in tearing down our walls