Self-Made Prison Poem by Danny Speicher

A wife who loves me and will never leave
A grin that shines out problems of the day
Tender kisses that rise above each fray
These are the kind of hopes I once believed

My kids in my lap as I read them tales
Of heroes and their maidens in distress
Tucking them in with a goodnight caress
Oh, how I prayed that these dreams wouldn't fail

A desk; an office; my name on the door
Successful in my career endeavors
The search for better forever severed
Dreams of personal success, nothing more

Life didn't turn out like I'd envisioned
Sitting alone in my self-made prison

Unwise choice spending an inheritance
On a house built upon a sandy shore
Nightmares now flash of the waves as they tore
The structure from its shaky existence

Trusting mentors as they guided me on
To bondage that would define a decade
If they had known, they'd have told me to stay
Now I'm just an institutional pawn

I gave her my all: my heart, soul and dreams
Laid my future at her feet, believing
All her promises of never leaving
But, her love was less lasting that it seemed

Life didn't turn out like I'd envisioned
Sitting alone in my self-made prison

Oh, Father won't you take this broken heart
Pick up even the smallest shattered piece
Make it new, make it Yours, give me release
Set me on a course, give me a new start

These failures occupy my thoughts by day
And, at night they haunt my every dream
I wake in a sweat; on my lips a scream
I cannot go on living life this way

Lord, heal these sicknesses that oft plague me
They render me useless and make me sleep
And the pain they bring causes me to weep
God, grant me reprieve... Won't You set me free

Life didn't turn out like I'd envisioned
Sitting alone in my self-made prison

Lord, in my life, grant me a new vision
Purpose enrapt with Your Great Commission

((February 19th,2010))