reflections and firelight

on leaving the cave

chained up in a cave,

i watched the shadows flicker on the wall,

since i cried my first tear,

i was a prisoner of that cave.

---

my ambitions ablaze behind me,

the fire revealing only the outlines of the world.

i named these illusions,

but how could i see anything else,

if i was forced to keep my head still my whole life?

---

when you pulled me up the ragged slope,

the upward path deterred me.

the bright light blinded me,

and the sun burned my skin.

---

i craved for the comfort,

of the walls that used to haunt me.

i longed for the chains,

the silhouettes flickering by.

---

the shadows were clearer than reflections,

i longed for the simple outlines,

the details made everything fuzzy,

but my eyes grew accustomed to the light.

---

i leaned out over the river,

trying desperately for a view of the reflections,

you dropped my hand,

and i fell back into the cave.

---

my eyes filled with darkness,

after being in the sun for so long,

i could barely make out the clean edges,

i wished for the details, the lines on my face,

that i saw in the water.

the colors of your eyes,

brighter than the bluest skies.

---

i waited for a melody,

but all i heard was the echoes of us,

the darkness drowned out the truth,

the truth i saw looking back at me,

among the ripples of the water.

---