Echoes

I tried to speak
                             But my tongue was rusted to the roof of my mouth
It took a long time to get that way I suppose
I didn’t notice
                        time passed by as I diminished in the silence
Swallowed by your shadow while you took in all the light

She found me
                    In a dark and damp corner of my mind
She told me I was beautiful
I wanted to believe
Though I thought it lies
       She told me I could shake off the night and decay
And loosen my voice once again
All it took was a spark of
faith
To free my caged spirit

You took for granted the sunshine
on your back
While my sight was restored
You raged down an empty hall
Echoes of breaking chains
                                        to keep you company

The prompt is “rust on my tongue” from Maria Giesbrecht @theguelphpoet on Instagram. April 28, National Poetry Month 2022.