My Fortress

I built my fortress from necessity, for protection from the pain

Been inside so long, never venturing from its silent solitude

Clinging to its sturdy walls of safety, like the twist to a leaf in the wind

I built it to perfection, brick and mortar, with the tools of my trade

Laid each stone with great care, I ever toiled for its perfection

So solid, I marveled at my creation, strength supporting the inside fragility

Covering and shielded, the fire and rain found no refuge

Building it larger, more ominous by the day, my desire for isolation unbound

Tireless, work never done, I sand each stone from the inside

I smooth each stone to a fine gloss...I stand in its familiar reflection

So wise am I, built it all by myself, I marvel at its winding diamond staircase

My fortress, my castle...the moat runs deep, deterring all who approach

No gate to cross, no door to knock, no path to gain entry

I stand watch by night, ever-assuring the sweetest aloneness,

Feeling no pain from my self-inflicted constriction, inspecting my fortress by day

My steps echo through deep red corridors of jasper, on the finest of marble floors

Hand crafted pillars of pearl, jade, and gold in my beautiful prison

The light dared not tread inside, its defeat assured swiftly

For no windows exist, only the tiniest hewn slit, from which I peer outward

I am he who is always watching, always waiting, sensing and protecting

Knowing their thoughts to intrude upon my lair, before the thoughts are birthed

Yet I am vigorous in defense, my fortress is the shield, it falters not

They grow weary from their attempts, my fortress is mighty, and I too, from its walls

Thwarting all that seek to enter, they are lost in a sapphire maze, from the outside

Their maps outdated, the signs confuse them...losing their way forward

They retreat, for they are the enemy of my ever-beloved, solitary confinement

Winning every battle for precious isolation, but the taste of victory grows bland

My plate full with the spoils of my haughty success, I grow weary of the meal

I drink from the golden chalice of my segregation, still thirsty for more

Ever tending to my castle, my moat flows with icy waters below

A sweet spirit lying frozen, trapped as they tried...it deserves to be free

 I warm it, and gently loosen the shackles, as I watch it float away

Never intended for it to be trapped in the icy deep, outside of my fortress, my cell

For I, who is judge and jury, of that which is within...imposed my own sentence

Confined to my immaculate fortress of solitude, hard labor on the pages

I marvel at my fortress and find it impenetrable

Shooting arrows of loving-kindness from my high perch, aim of perfection

A bow for each finger, they fall and are warmed with joy, as I retreat

To my lair, reloading black ink...the color of love from my pen

Their hearts are warmed by penetrating words, translucent from my tongue

Inside the fortress, mixing my concoction, I pour sweet visions on the page

I make it in my lair, a libation from inside, it moves through them that are open

They are freed, yet I remain confined, being seen and heard, yet not often understood

To know the language of my solitary, is to know that which my fortress protects

I am he, who listens with keen ear, the name of their need, before it was called

From my mighty fortress, built from countless yesterdays, overlaid with smooth onyx

They look upon it, with curious gaze, and see only their reflection

Yet they learn of themselves, and I see their light from tiny cracks in the wall

The warmth, thawing the icy moat, my fingertips chipping away the stone of my prison

The light peers in, its rays illuminating, chiseling  at my reinforced walls

Beginning to release...what has been protected by my fortress for so long

My Heart