let me be

oh, lay me down,

on a bed of soft,

. . . velvet moss,

that’s warmed by shadows,

of some summer’s sun

’neath the limbs of strong

and gnarled twists

of solid,

living oak

. . . by the lichen rocks,

rising to the empty space,

sky of blue

solid as the ground,

that holds,

me in this place

and all the earth below

. . . if only for awhile longer

will you let me be?

may i kindly ask,

will you let me keep

for a while longer?

. . . even though my heart hurts

for those in muddy mines

living on beds of dirt

tearing wounds on razor wire?

i'll go back

to the noise of cities

i'll hear the deathly quiet

of them that in agony weep

in the midst of frightful noise,

who keep it to themselves,

by very thin threads,

knowing no one's strong enough

to listen

or care enough to help

keep me far away,

for a little rest,

i beg

. . . it's not easy to get up

from this

it's just as hard to forget

and leave,

the things that make

me want to leave,

is what makes me hurt

so much

. . . 'neath these leaves of green

by this oak

on a mossy bed

the same sky above me

floats high above

the things i hate

away below,

that cause me grief,

. . . where i will drag myself back to,

where i'd rather be . . .

there's no way i can stay here,

it's too soft, . . .

i can't escape their eyes

the ones i left back there

just,

let me feel,

what it feels like,

before i go back,

to be,

at ease,

at peace,

a selfish minute longer,

let me be