I write to release my demons that

have held me captive for so long

Sucking the voice right from my mouth

They told me to keep silent

For years I lay quiet

and weak

scratching at my throat

begging for release

When you have gone so too long

without a word nor a cry

hope is distant and foreign

Defeat nearly swallowed me whole

before pen and paper came to my

rescue

Long lost words aching behind my teeth

finally spilling over onto paper

Poetry found my voice.