Two Bars of Soap

Two bars of soap
but I can't get clean
Some might ask
what the hell does that mean
If you look closely
at my body and soul
you will find it filled
with life's scars
bruises and holes
Come closer to my fire
where hell burns with no flame
to the water’s edge indecently
frozen in the shallow state
of whence I came
Only then perhaps
you might be able to see
why two bars of soap
are not enough
to release my mind
of my burden and be free
Rosemary mint
and lavender scent
I rub and I scrub
until my skin is red
Why oh why
must it be so hard
to write how I feel
about those who are dead
Why can I not
be in this moment
and feel the love
all around me instead
If you read this and think
he is surely a fool
to stay locked away
and to run so far as he has
scream from the roof top
let me know what to do
that is not insane
For desire is the key
and my ghosts are the lock
unwilling to open
so others may see
what only my eyes
from near and from far
can make out in the dark
of the worst case of bad fortune
of any man woman or child
If there was a soap
made of iron and steel
forged from the chains
of emotions held inside
crying for mercy
I still would ask
unmercifully why
cannot I get clean

Robert
2016