Ward of the State

I'm a prisoner of the county
of my thoughts and dreams.
A ward of my state of mind;
Though not voluntarily,
but through a fate of some kind.
Brought to my knees by depression
of a certain superfluous obsession...
I was scratched and bruised,
dazed and confused.
An error in my department of corrections,
my conscience wears uniforms of random selection.
Unconscious of its own afflictions,
My heart measured out wrongful convictions.
Tangled in gross dereliction of duty,
my spirit is forever moody.
I turned loose my heart and soul;
But my brain is in solitary
and my conscience is cold...
Probation's out the window, and there's no chance for parole.
My mind no longer knows what's real,
so my body remains in confinement
while it waits for its appeal...

Never Saw It Coming

I didn't say "I love you," every day,
I never showed emotion when you'd say
that time is no man's friend,
and we're always only seconds from the end...
I never believed those words would ever ring true,
never for me,
and especially not for you.
But they have, and so suddenly;
I'm all alone, and now humbly
I think of all the things I could've said,
and they still roam around in my head....
Because now that you're gone,
and I'm forced to carry on,
I wish for a second chance;
A rewind or backwards glance
to say and do all the things I didn't...
To reveal thoughts and feelings that were otherwise hidden.
You've let loose the ties that bound you,
and a better place has crowned you.
I still get sad sometimes,
and it still weighs on my mind,
But I know you're happy now-
and although you've taken your final bow...
I'll see you again,
I don't know how or when,
but until I do,
Just know that I'll always love you.

For my grandpa, who died after 86 years of good living. You are missed, never forgotten, and always in my heart! R.I.P. Frank Marvin Mayo. I love you. ♥