literature

Star Inmate

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TheSkaBoss's avatar
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Literature Text

Two men looked out from prison bars
One saw the mud, the other saw the stars -
Enraptured, he stood gazing up at them,
Forgetting for a while that he was condemned.
The first man could not stand the sight
And turned away from the starry night.
Unable to lose himself in imagination
He dwelled, instead, on his situation.
After a while as his mood grew grimmer,
The cell seemed to grow smaller and dimmer.
He could not see the serene glow
That through the open window flowed.
His cellmate couldn't understand,
His cellmate didn't know his plans.
He knew the only way to escape this place
Was to lose yourself in Death's embrace
And how could he bring himself to die,
To leave a world full of wonders and starry skies?
He focused on the bad instead,
Ignored the stars shining overhead.
He'd been doing this for so long now
He could no longer do anything but frown
But with his last shred of optimism
He would find the strength to leave this prison
And soon he would be among those stars
That shone down so bright between the bars.
Following a prompt I was given by ~Esper-Isotopes -

"Two men looked out from prison bars, one saw the mud, the other saw the stars."
-Frederick Langbridge

I'm thinking it also fits No.34 on the list - 'Stars'
Comments8
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Satiah's avatar
I love how well this poem flows. Excellent expansion of the prompt, too. I particularly enjoyed how well you carried the quote thorughout the entirety of the poem without it becoming too long or wandering off-topic; you kept it short and sweet. It's full of wonderful imagery that makes you think about the ups and downs of life, and how so much of your world is based on your perspective. Great work.