THE SLENDER ROPES

When poetry became
My hiding place
My words soldiers
Set to fight
Against a cold
And cruel world
In verse armed
Within the night.

The metre became
My defending walls
Reciting in
The darkened halls
Of an enemy
Known as life
A literary sword
Aimed to fight.

The slender ropes
Upon my speech
Held each note
Its voice beseech
Stand firm, stand strong
In ink and thought
Let time know
The poet fought.