It is winter now, should be snow,

But the seasons, the earth no longer knows.

Harsh winds blow, ash and fire scatter upon the breeze,

Settling their gritty dust amongst the leaves upon the trees.

Screams drowned by a thunderous roar,

Cries of sorrow, caught now, we will be safe no more.

They hold us by fear, one by one beasts baring their chains

Not me. Swift and silent feet, slowly I back away avoiding the blood stains.

Not a beast am I. Still human though they will it not,

Trapped in a savage land that the sands of time forgot.

Transported from home, herded like sheep from a foreign field,

I tried to fight them but eventually to them I had to yield.

Should have stayed true and held out for death,

Should have fought them till my very last breath.

Tears as a river rain down upon my cheeks,

And I wonder have I been here days or weeks?

The corner I reach, tis clear down the long corridor,

Much a maze this land, exit, entrance, I must find a door.

I can see it. I can see the light and the charred ruins of the land outside,

I reach for it, try to grasp it, almost have it, but the gap is much too wide.

Jump, jump, I have too. I cannot go back to the chains,

Better to be free in death, than be rotted flesh remains.

Breathe I think, but no, in my empty belly settled the smell.

And in the pit below, death held the keys to heaven or hell.

I could hear them give chase, I could not turn nor reroute,

I must jump the pit, but if I failed there was no way out.

“There, there she is,” and a bullet just missed my head,

There was no more time to think, I jumped landing amongst the dead.

I could not breathe, the rotted flesh in my nose stunk.

I tried to still myself because the more I moved the farther down I sunk.

A slow agonizing death awaited for the guards would leave me to die.

They knew there was no escape, no way I could fly.

Their laughter echoed far away and screams began once more,

My death will not be pleasant, sinking farther into the bloody gore.

A rope ladder dangled upon the side thrown by who I did not know,

It mattered not, for if I could reach it I was all set to go.

Slipping and sliding, sinking again and again, but I would not fail.

I would make it to the ladder and escape from my journey to hell.

Up the ladder I climbed wary of what waited at the top,

He grabbed me by the arm, we ran, it was a long time before we stopped.

A darkened cave, a waters pool, washed the death away.

Nightmares come no peace for a night, but live to fight another day.

They will come for us, we cannot run and hide forever,

But there is a chance that we can survive if we are more clever.

Cannons roar, heart-wrenching screams and the children cry,

Power, greed, pure evil? We really do not know why.

We are no longer free, the human monsters have brought us war,

They herd us like animals, prisoners, there will be peace no more.

© Cynthia Clark