way out

But with an X on the door

We can 

By decision 

Or by grace

Turn away 

From thieves pilfering what is not 

Our precious freedom

And release

In a single breath 

Ourselves

From their black habit

lost causes

Inarticulate poets

Chiseling words letter by letter

Cannot reveal unbroken hearts

Or break spells by casting stones

Backward

Any more than time

Can reach its rubber arms 

Around a rapist

And thump him on the back

Before it happens