Shackled Remorse

Elysium Haigh

My cheek pressed against the bar,

I feel my rage sizzle and burn 

like meat on a hot slate.

That's all I am here—

meat.

As I sink from the weight of my regrets,

I am pulled down by the tortured souls below me.

Sometimes I wonder who pulled them.

How deep can I go before I descend into madness?

Or worse—

pride?

I have nothing to be proud of—

except that I am not. 

Am I the only piece of meat in here with a soul?

Has the rage burned away the humanity?

My feet on the floor,

the floor they have never touched bare.

The spirit of freedom, of life,

doesn't exist here.

Covered in hard leather and beaten buckles,

we remain shackled.

Screams in my head never end.

Maybe the others hear them too.

Maybe that's why they scream at night,

blinded by rage or regret.

The clang of doors and locks surrounds us.

We know the song of fresh meat all too well.

Thrown to the ground,

only to hobble to a shaking stance,

head leaning to the door as the light fades.

My cheek pressed against the bar

Elysium Haigh, author of Shackled Remorse, is a 17-year-old poet from Winchester, England. She attends Barton Peveril Sixth Form College, where she is studying English Literature, Photography, and Textiles. Inspired by writers like Sylvia Plath and Lucy Prebble, she spends her free time writing poetry and acting with a local youth theatre group. Passionate about storytelling, Elysium hopes to study creative writing at university and pursue a career as an author.