National Poetry Month: A Poem of Remembrance

On the last day of National Poetry Month, today we are featuring a poem by Innocence Blog reader, Angela E. McKnight. Not Broken By Time was written in honor of Angela’s high school sweetheart, who was wrongfully convicted of a crime he did not commit. He has been incarcerated for the past three decades and is still fighting for his freedom to this day. Thank you, Angela, for sharing your inspiring poem with us.

Not Broken By Time

All the years that were stolen,
At times causes the blood,
Inside me to run cold.
When my frustrations spit into a threat,
It’s the battle that takes place,
Inside of my head,
With these thoughts,
That linger,
And if they do not speak,
This injustice will be set,
For time to repeat.
How long will cage flesh,
Satisfy an insatiable greed?
How long on the masses will it feed,
In a field where the innocent cry,
And some have been left to die?
There is a truth fighting in a shadow,
Waiting for light to expose,
A muffled voice,
Behind a concrete wall,
Where grief grows.
A world separate from mine,
Still there is love,
Not broken by time.
So many years have gone by,
And still late at night I cry.
The same satin pillow,
Holds my pain.
Lips drenched from sadness,
Still whisper his name,
With a prayer for justice,
And freedom to claim.

– Angela E. McKnight

Related: A Poem for Truth, A Poem for Survival