Still Exiles/Freedom (Burn down the Last Door) By Walter Beck

STILL EXILES

For Ben Snipes

All the years
And all the seasons that have passed,
I still heard it in your voice today.
We’re still exiles,
Remembering the salted soil
Of the place we once called home.

We still have our scars
From dirty knives,
And fragments from political bullets
Buried in our souls.

Do our lovers know about those scars
From all those years ago?
Would they understand?

Would they know the feeling
Of losing faith
In an oath and law
We once dedicated our lives to?

We’re still exiles
After all these years have passed,
With scars that still trickle
When the moon draws high.

We’re still exiles,
Knowing nothing beautiful can grow again
In the salted soil
Of the place we once called home.

FREEDOM (BURN DOWN THE LAST DOOR)

For Little Jimmy
 
How does it feel, brother?
To finally breathe
That free, fresh air.

How does it feel
To burn down the last door,
To break the last shackle,
To cut the last lock?

Were you scared
As you made that last step?
Terrified you’d be going alone,
Worried that your eyes would never adjust to light
After so many years of darkness.

Were you relieved
When you found love
On the other side
Of that last long door?
Did you shed tears of joy
And let out a big exhale?

How does it feel
To walk as a whole human being?
No more secrets,
No more chains,
No more locked doors,

To walk the free road
Still loved.

(By Walter Beck)