I know the place

I know the place

Deep down, hidden beneath

The bluff and bluster

The wry smile, laconic charm

That tends to slip after the first sip

Of hard liquor

Inclined toward melancholy

It is never a good idea to drink

In a darkened room

I like to see the mess I have made

Of myself

I know there is a place

Of safety somewhere

After the zip was pulled up tight

The gurney rolled away

The bang as the door crashed shut

The moan I heard was mine

It was never more real

A primal fear of the dark side

The hole it made has never healed

But only papered over

To protect a songbird

Stilled of voice

But waiting in my soul

For a moment to be free

I know it still resides with you

In the quiet place

The soft spot reserved for memories

Of childhood and love-making

Where history plays

The music of the innocent on repeat

The trials of the lonely

Are never blessed with justice

Too many good people

Lost inside a labyrinth

Of their own creation

Curators of the downfall

Fighting good and evil

On the inside

Waiting on the fall

Of a fire wall

To release the songbird

When the door to happiness

Can be opened from the inside

With a key

Kept squirreled away

For its own safe keeping

Seek it out

Turn it if you can

A piece of you will find

A piece of me

I am a black hole, papered over,

Set me free.