2023 Poetry of the Outliers 2nd Place Winner: The Bars Divide Us – Poetry by Robert Tyrone Lilly

2nd Place Winner of the 2023 and 3rd Annual Poetry of the Outliers Contest!

The Bars Divide Us
All these years have gone by, beloved/
You are right there but still we can’t touch/
Their bars form a barrier between you and I/
I’ve tried to bend them and set you free/
My hands grown callous/
My strength/
It failed me/
Their bars separate us/
Two/
Long distances I’ve traveled cross bridge and border/
Just to gaze upon your face/
Through stained, fingerprint marked, plexiglass/
Their partitions keep us apart/
Their bars divide us/
Their work designed to break what we share/
You told me not to cry/
How could I not/
Seeing you chained, manacled/
A slave in fetters/
My heart sinks at the mere thought of this image/
Flesh of my flesh/
In twain we are cut/
Their bars a cold scalpel/
Severing flesh from bone/
Your letters oft our our only contact/
No calls, no video, no connection, except/
The memories of our innocent youth/

I was supposed to be your protector/
Mother taught me to be that/
Yet, now I feel almost too weak/
Too small to protect you still/
Their bars keep me away from the brutes and bullies you dread/
Hold on dear beloved/
Do not let them have your soul/
Our day will soon come/
No matter the wait/
I shall be here/
Like a grand oak/
Standing tall, anticipating your return to my shade/
Your release from their bars/

What once kept us disunited/
Was only effective in name/
Never have I forgotten you/
Not one minute/
Not one day/
When I look in the mirror/
It is your face that stares back/
Their bars cannot divide/
What lies deeply within/