Walker Street

Wrists shackled above him,
a hand stroking his hair
and a whisper
that it will be alright.
His throat convulses;
nothing comes out,
and he is painfully silent.

Another watches the scene
as he is spread out, up and back.
A muted shriek;
words slur together
and become indigestible.
One watches as the other takes
what was never meant to be taken.

Desperate struggles against
physical shackles, pharmaceutical,
and mental ones as well.
Not to mention the weight that pins.
Barriers are demolished in
a triple attack that only the stars
will witness on these barren nights.

Vicious awakening,
a snap to consciousness.
Cold sweat dews his skin.
Woken by his own screams,
he pants and rests.
Tangled in sheets
that are red from his thrashing.

Still, the voice can be heard
in his head and his alone,
"Calm down, lie still,
be quiet and no one will know.
It will hurt for only a moment."
He shakes violently,
and rolls to face the wall.

Even the nightmares can't make
him confront what has happened.
Not once, not twice,
too many times to count.
Hazel eyes close and open,
blinking away the past
as the moon alights his tears.

~*~