Free at Last                                                    ©2018 by Debbie Stokes

He felt lost in the grips of a bottomless cave

with faint echoes and dreary grays.

The light of midday beamed through tiny gaps separated by stone;

He never thought he’d be there alone.

The dim light fought hard to shine a ray of hope, but he still couldn’t see;

Losing all faith, his shaking knees buckled, and he fell on bended knee.

The frost of the cold winter’s night unraveled coldness that shook him to his core,

He was losing all hope, he fell hard to the floor.

He was trapped in darkness, and for that, he wasn’t prepared;

But the truth of the matter is, life ain’t fair.

Creepy trickles of sensation consumed his body as rogue tears burst from his eyes,

His pain was real, filled with somber cries,

His limp body dripped with uncertainty and fear,

he was sinking in sorrow, he fought hard to contain his tears.

His once calm heart dropped, he was losing this fight;

He was convinced he wouldn’t make it through the night.

He was alone, looking for a way out,

But the swooping darkness overwhelmed his inner fear, forcing him to shout.

The weight of overpowering pain created distorted illusions in his mind,

“Lord, I need strength,” he cried, “this one last time.”

He was losing this battle, and he didn’t understand;

Without warning, an inner strength pushed his wilted body to stand.

A vision entered his mind and voices gave him a reason for hope,

He was tired of his pain; he was ready to cope.

From among the voices, he heard the Lord say,

“Come unto me, suffer no more, this is your day.”

In an instant, the cave that had him bound released its grasp;

He was free from the grip of darkness, free from the pain at last.