Five in Me

There are five of them.

Five jailors to tie me

Down and keep me from

Myself. Approaching slyly from behind,

Through gray hazes of my

Mind, through the grime of

Greed, anger, attachment, ego, and

Un-ending lusts. They’re always

Waiting, lurking in the dark.

In the deepest depths, sandwiched

In unknown, undiscovered cells; they

Wait. They wait for me

To sleep, to loosen down

My guard. And then they

Come attack me, in any

Way they can. I pray

To cleanse my mind, I

Sing to cleanse my heart,

With every breath I long

To remember my Lord’s name;

I try to lose my

Self in the wonders of

His nature, His creation, in

The wonders of His play.

But no, it mustn’t be,

There remain failings on my

Part. My walls are not

Yet strong enough to keep

Intruders out. Through my cracks

And tiny holes, they enter.

They enter as soon as

The lights go out, hunting

And digesting petals of my

Untouched soul.