"The work of the eyes is done.
Go now and do the heart-work
on the images imprisoned within you"
-Rainer Maria Rilke
"If I allow you to live a day outside this prison walls, what would you
do differently?" the prison guard asked. "There's no life out there for
a condemned prisoner. Life beyond this wall holds no delight for me. I
want to die here and no sooner than that heaven would come calling." answered the prisoner.
Bewildered, the guard asked "do you know where heaven is?" With a tint of smile lightening his face, the prisoner answered "yes"! whiles he looked further away through the prison bars as if to catch a glimpse of the butterflies outside the playing field, he continued; "I know heaven, I've been there before and I've been told if I die I get to go there again." The guard looked lost to the conviction of the prisoner.
The prisoner sensing the guard's confused mind, continued; "I had a young wife when I was eighteen. We spent our times in the trees chasing butterflies, made love every night. After, we would talk till the sun came up, my little angel would lay there, bare breasted as the light from fireflies lights up her face, that was my best scenery of life ever,.... my heaven. I believe when I'm killed tomorrow, I would get to meet my Lucy and make a heaven out of our little lives again."
The next morning the roll was called, the prisoner was to die by hanging. He was mounted up with the twine around his neck...surprisingly his face was all smiles as he hums a tune discretely. The preacher ended his prayers saying; "may the lord have mercy on your soul", the prisoner responded; "the soul is the Lord's, he has no option but to be merciful to his own".
The platform beneath his feet was pulled...life left him cold after minutes of struggle. When his body was let loose, the guard drew closer to his cold body and whispered "safe journey to the arms of love, I pray Lucy makes you a heaven. Enjoy freedom once more".
Bewildered, the guard asked "do you know where heaven is?" With a tint of smile lightening his face, the prisoner answered "yes"! whiles he looked further away through the prison bars as if to catch a glimpse of the butterflies outside the playing field, he continued; "I know heaven, I've been there before and I've been told if I die I get to go there again." The guard looked lost to the conviction of the prisoner.
The prisoner sensing the guard's confused mind, continued; "I had a young wife when I was eighteen. We spent our times in the trees chasing butterflies, made love every night. After, we would talk till the sun came up, my little angel would lay there, bare breasted as the light from fireflies lights up her face, that was my best scenery of life ever,.... my heaven. I believe when I'm killed tomorrow, I would get to meet my Lucy and make a heaven out of our little lives again."
The next morning the roll was called, the prisoner was to die by hanging. He was mounted up with the twine around his neck...surprisingly his face was all smiles as he hums a tune discretely. The preacher ended his prayers saying; "may the lord have mercy on your soul", the prisoner responded; "the soul is the Lord's, he has no option but to be merciful to his own".
The platform beneath his feet was pulled...life left him cold after minutes of struggle. When his body was let loose, the guard drew closer to his cold body and whispered "safe journey to the arms of love, I pray Lucy makes you a heaven. Enjoy freedom once more".
Picture Credit: fotolog.com
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