Broken Wings
I find myself today with broken wings
After more than half my life behind
Theses fences and walls that contain me
My wings are broken and bent
As to forbid my abilities to fly and be free
Free to overcome the generational stigmatic curse
Stained is my writing
From the situations I’m in
A stain self-ordained and declining
Deciding my choices of judgment
My disorder comes from within
Daunting and troubling
It’s a very big stain
Punishing and perhaps impossible to clean
I was flying, trying to cross a marsh
A marsh filled with a sickened and holistic world
A world full of evil, full of temptations
And overflowing with impurities
For some it was easy to overcome
But for me, I slipped and fell many times
Broken, beaten, and tattered
Yet, still from this marsh I will prevail
Today I have a thousand sadnesses
They don’t let me sleep at night
A hatred fast fed by a prison
A prison that darkens my every light
Walls, fences, and barriers surround me
Supported by the traumatic experiences of my wicked life
But I won’t let them keep me down
As my world goes round and round
Today I have a life filled with dreams
Dreams that I will fulfill
Although there are times when I feel
I have no support system
Times when I really need somebody
Yet, all of this is just a façade
I share now a lasting relationship
With my Lord and Savior
Today they heal my broken wings
Today they will heal my unyielding spirit
Today they heal my sickened body
Today they give me the greatest strength, courage, and knowledge
Entangled with the wisdom to endure
I now have faith enriched with hope
I now have wisdom, knowledge, and a great understanding
Today I’m free to fly again, To finish my journey
The journey over the murky marsh of life
— James Robert “J.R.” Childs Jr., Brown County
Brown County residents or former residents can submit original poems to be published in Poets’ Corner by emailing them to [email protected] or mailing to P.O. Box 277, Nashville, IN 47448. Include your name and town of residence.
