Prison Bars Poem by Mark Heathcote

What does a prisoner say?
To bars, he cannot escape.
I love you, but let me exit say farewell.
I love you but permit me some leave.

Inside his heart, yet, remains a serpent.
An unwelcome coiled guest sounds a hiss.
But unlike a stray dog, he'll not bark nor-
Snake through the undergrowth an adder?

So, then Lord, what is a key without a lock?
Or a jail without four walls
Who turns the key to a door, without-walls?
To a door that's-got no hinge.

No ceiling or heavenly vault
No floor or cellar-basement.
What does a prisoner say?
To bars, non-corrodible, he must always love.