Poem: Matters of Innocence

Matters of Innocence
By: Abbey Rutter

It's a matter of hope,
And I almost have none.
It's a status of honor,
And I've known it undone.
It's a notion of peace,
And I feel but disquiet.
It's a practice of patience,
And of it, I grow tired.

This isn't a tale I commonly tell,
It isn't for strangers, or anyone else.
It comprises the life of my personal hell,
To embody a soul that may never be well.
It's a story of childhood,
Though do keep in mind,
'Tis but a history of innocence,
And how I lost mine.

There was a time when I was strong,
When I feared nothing.
Now I feel so much wrong
So much suffering.
I have lost too much now
I know not where it's gone,
And I'm not quite sure how,
But it's been ever so long
Since I knew the sweetness
Of days without sin,
And I knew of the hope,
And where and how to begin.
But now I am lost,
I am bound lock and key,
And I am the temptation,
That's made fire of me.