Iron Incarnate

They do not rattle, or clink

Nor do they rust

But bind so tight, I think

They will turn me to dust

So strong are these chains

That remain so silent

Checking my pain,

And curtailing my violence

Quiet are they among my mind's fray,

So that unwilling ears may listen -

A focus made sharper each day

By their rough metal friction

Fortunate I believe I am,

As regrets and thoughts surround

Grateful, though damned

Sins linked by lengths wound

And so it goes, this lifelong sentence

My due for deeds so dark

A fitting penance, no repentance,

Each elemental mark

If life was my only chance,

No wonder I harbor this hate

Kept in line by a winding dance

I joined myself -

Iron incarnate.