Der Käfig

he sits

in empty spaces all alone
body battered, bare bones

chain's snake along his feet
and only in his mind is he allowed to speak

he recalls
his inglorious fall

compared to the loss of Lucifer's grace
who was he to try and compare his fall in its place?

yet he tried still
hoping that a sense of false redemption would bring its own thrill
 
he was

a writer, born from pools of ink and quill feathers
his mind a vast canvas barely tethered

by the limits of ethics and morals
he tackled every misnomer and degradation, leading to many a quarrel

yet despite his passion and his desire
his musing could pay no higher

than that of a common squalor
so soon he found himself in the employ of a tailor

this tailor worked him night and day
and soon all thought of was his weekly pay

he found

himself in a dilemma, a moral cage
should he focus only on his daily toil, or committing his works to page?

he struggled and struggled with the beast of his mind
and in his epic battle his work began to fall behind

the foreman let it go
feeling sorry for the poor fellow

but soon the delay
began to become more than the man's patience could belay

so he threw the man out the street
and he wandered there for weeks

he saw

there in the damp fifth of forgotten lives
secrets men and women desperately tried to hide

one involved a man of quite a high station
involved with a woman of lesser vocation

the man noticed what the writer had saw
and begged him not to tell with endless gal

brandishing a blade above his head
the writer thought he surely would be dead

but the woman begged and pleaded
a murder would bring attention neither of them needed

he was spared

and found elation
and praised all of God's glorious creations

but beyond his glee
a idea did he begin to see

he went into the local newspaper
and said he had a story that would sell like vapor

so he penned the city's secret lies
in ink seen by everyone's eyes

and many men and women felt regret
for all their sins were now revealed but none was so shocking as one Mr. Jett

he watched

as the city learned of his infidelity
-with a girl half the age of his wife- greatly affect his acceptability

so he began a dastardly plan
the utmost ruin and destruction of a man

so he contacted his lawyer and began to sue
for things like defamation and libel too

the writer without money to spare
defended himself and wallowed as he watched the sentence "guilty" be said in the air

he was dragged to the lowest prison
in the darkest cell thanks to the warden receiving a hefty "commission"

he sat

in a cage made of stone
wondering of things he should have known

the shadows formed images of his past
making him crave some way to go back

he prayed and prayed
waiting for an answer but none came for days

a single shaft of light pierced the room
revealing a small chisel from which another idea did soon bloom

day and night he wrote his story, breathing each letter into the stone
revealing his story, and all the secrets he had known

there they sat
in the cage
waiting to be discovered again in some later age

Author's Note

pardon the length. and fyi the title means the cage in german

Reviews

[Cassiopia Summers]

I think this is an amazing story told in poem form. I think it had great chronological order. And it is great that you included rhyme into it.

[Sharon]

I love it. I can see myself there. I think most writers will. When the muse attacks, we obey.

[R E Tree]

I think you introduce a character very well. Already from reading the first 3 lines I get drawn to him. You introduce him like I should feel sorry for him. I get this feeling somthing bad might have happened to him. You have a good way of getting the reader drawn and thinking. I carry on reading, I get problems just like I expected. I like his ideas he sounds intelligant

[Bard Constantine]

Very enjoyable story in poetic prose. I enjoyed the dash from stage to stage of a man's downfall, and how the conclusion comes full circle to the very beginning.

[Ruth]

This is amazing work!
The tale of the creative mind that can be taken both ways, a tale that existed or from the creative purging :) lol
Awesome poem, I love the length actually, adds impact here:)
xx

[Shin]

Nice job, I really enjoyed this, it was dark and I didn't mind how long it is, it's great, just plain great, you expressed yourself pretty good.

[Natalie]

I really really liked this. The story (welll it's a poem but you know what I mean) was great and it was very enjoyable. I had a picture of everything going on in my mind as I read. Great job :D It was a sad, emotional story with great depth and the lenght wasn't a problem for me

[.]

"he recalls
his inglorious fall

compared to the loss of Lucifer's grace
who was he to try and compare his fall in its place?"

...I love this - very creative my friend!!!

james:-)

[emily joe]

I like this. I disagree with the others that say it's too long. Usually I don't like the long stuff, but I think you captured an emotion that couldn't be expressed in few, simplistic words. This is awesome. And I love the german title! I speak german myself, so I was like "Ohhhh la la, the cage!" Hahaha, I love this.

[NoneOfYourBusiness akaK..]

epic cycle of the mind~ a life darkly drawn in tethers reaching beyond for firmanents through curls of ink~ a well crafted tale indeed~