A Bright Dawn

Were the past something
I could sever
Or remove
As a threadbare coat
I would.

But the past is never past.
Indeed
The past is ever present.

I remain attached
To the most painful
The most toxic part
Of my inner being.

So I war with myself
Trying always
And fervently
To not be known
For my most ignoble
Moment.

I bear my guilt
Like a corpse
Lashed to my back.

I speak grandly
Of fidelity
Integrity
Loyalty
But my old man within
Bears testimony
Against me.

Oh, were I able
To distance myself
From myself
I would think this life
Gracious and kind.
But I stand a prisoner
In a universe of prisoners
All talking nobly of freedom
No one
Ever
Having been
Free.

Yet
There may be hope
For the leery and the weary
On a bright dawn
Of a new day
When the truth
Shall set us free.