The Past is a Prisoner Behind Yesterday’s Bars
written by: Joemario Umana
what’s next when the heavy clouds give birth?
what happens when the night wakes up from sleep?
the wind carries with it that, if you dissect the belly of a storm,
therein lies peace. i feared one day i would become icarus—for
i had been flying too close to the sun. & though one knows self-
hate is cannibalistic, it’s easy to fall for its seductive
whims. but today i worship surviving the night. & the saying
that joy comes in the morning, is a reminder that sadness was a
one night stand. & time does always carry along a first aid kit.
when jesus said all these will pass away, but my word shall not
pass away— i guess i was his word. for here i stand with a new
dawn in front of me, & a second chance a rare gift in my palms.
& like morning dew drifting away while the sun kisses the earth
good morning, the past is a prisoner behind yesterday’s bars.
here lives peace, here is no t-rex kingdom. there’s no war for
survival. sandman plays me a new dream—here i don’t want to
die, here i want to survive. here i feel like a new leaf out from a
dead bud. here hope grabs my hand and promises me “again”
here light has darkness for breakfast, here every morning tells
me the words, “not today Joemario”
- The Past is a Prisoner Behind Yesterday’s Bars - July 13, 2023
