The Cry of the Captive

                I was sick, alone and in prison and you

                   did not visit me

                I was right in the midst of you as you

                   passed by day after day

                I could hear your picnics and celebrations

                   and sometimes glimpse a familiar face as

                   I strained to see beyond my window

                But your eyes were unseeing; you did not

                   even remember that I was right there...

                Just beyond reach; so close...

                   and yet so very far

                For years I lived along side you but you

                   chose to forget me

                It was easier not to be reminded of the

                   fragileness of life

                It might cost something to weep with me

                   and lighten my load

                It might make you realize that your life

                   could also become a wilderness

                   of pain

                That's too hard to look at and process‑

                   isn't it?

                I don't blame you ‑ so much easier to forget

                   And if I were you and you were me, I'd

                   have probably done the same thing too

                But prison and loneliness do something to

                   the human soul

                When I come out of here I hope I never

                   forget this pain

                I don't ever want to be the same again

                   with eyes that do not see

                 ‑ blind by choice

                For I wonder what Jesus will say when

                   we see Him face to face

                I've thought about it a lot and sometimes

                   it scares me

                And so, I've prayed for you and for me too

                   "Father forgive us for we really don't

                    know what we are doing".