A poem written at HMP Highpoint in 2015/16. One of the ways I used to get myself to sleep was by fabricating imaginary journeys, often routes that I had taken in the past. In this poem I imagined slipping out through the gates one day. It also touches on a number of metaphyiscal issues which are of little importance. I would just say that one of the few advantages of being confined is the force of concentration that can be attained – given a little peace and quiet early morning.
Body and Soul
Inside my mind gates open wide
As I beside the guardians glide
They see me not as I pass their door
They hear no steps as I walk before
For it’s my soul that is set free
That senses leaves upon the tree
That welcomes warmth of summer breeze
That feels the freedom mind’s eye sees
No shackles shall my soul restrain
To mute my mind there is no chain
My thoughts held dear cannot be seen
No man may go where my soul has been
Others see my body and think of me
But what I feel, they cannot see
As what I see, they cannot feel
They only know what they think is real
For reality lies within the mind
To others’ thoughts all eyes are blind
Whatever words the world may say
Ideas cannot be ripped away
Nor can they rip away the pain
That’s felt within the suffering brain
Molecules may provide relief
No compound can erase belief
For belief is a matter of the soul
Of which there is no half nor whole
They cannot of its substance seize
Nor can they treat it as they please
Though most belief may be untrue
It matters not what man might do
Man only can convince by word
What changes minds is read or heard
So as my soul moves through its space
Where there’s no caste or creed or race
Other souls may pass it by
Unheard by ear, unseen by eye
And as I dream this vivid verse
The fields and roads that I traverse
Are just as real as others see
A visitant’s view of eternity