My eyes glint in the darkness
a gloom that covers my fear.
A smooth metal rod with a rubber handle
slips in the clutches of my sweaty palms.

My foggy brain desperately tries
to control my deprived body.
Left foot, right foot
but fatigue manages to corrode my efforts.

Heavy boots crunch in the rocky soil
and I get closer to The Wall.
Each step makes me cringe
at my deafening foot falls.

At the base of The Wall
I crane my neck to get a glance
of the top of the fence
and the coils of barbed wire.

A deep breath does not help
to steady the wings
of my fluttering heart
or loosen the muscles of my lips.

The mud slips under my shirt as I slide onto my stomach
and I use the rod to prop up the cruel wire.
I peer through the gap
calculating how much room there is to spare.

My elbows dig into the ground
and I push myself forward.
My head barely clears the narrow space
and the spikes almost graze my scalp.

The progress is slow
and the hairs at the base of my neck prickle at the proximity of the cool metal..
My ragged nails pull me closer
through the last foot of imprisonment.


I can see a new future
and new dreams as my current becomes a reality
until...
a jerk in my leg makes me look backwards.

The fence rattles as I frantically kick my feet
trying to free the hem of my pants from a barb.
Time morphs into a stop motion film
as a guard turns his attention towards my desperate yanking.

As I stare into the eyes of the guard
I can count the seconds left.
Three, two, one.
A bang then silence.

Freedom.