Slavery — (To E. A. P.)
Love
I am a slave,
Yet free as birds above,
Sold into bondage
By the tender kiss of love.
Lust
I am a slave
In the rat trap of disgust,
Sold into bondage
By the lurid kiss of lust.
Hate
I am a slave
Prisoned by the walls of fate,
Sold into bondage
By the cruel kiss of hate.
Crime
I am a slave
Behind the bars of time,
Sold into bondage
By the leprous kiss of crime.
Death
I am a slave
No longer in my breath,
Given sight of freedom
Through the graciousness of death.
Still am I a slave
In the hand of destiny,
Thought alone enslaved me
And thought alone can free.