Can you feel the pain of captivity,
That someone close to you knows,
Whether the bars of a prison fortress,
Or the oppression of a hated foe?
 

God, can you hear them crying,
Seeking guidance as much as hope,
And the strength to break the bonds that hold them,
As slowly erodes their ability to cope.
 

All of us suspect our breaking point,
And are embarrassed that it lies so close,
To  mere pain inflicted upon us,
For there are few among us who heroism knows.
 

I see the days that are taken,
From a life ever so brief,
And they who are forever altered,
Of human spirit  abducted by a thief.
 

And what becomes of the captor,
Who sees himself a lord?
He sacrifices more than his humanity,
Currency his soul can little afford.
 

And so goes a day in the death house,
Or a basement on the Lower East Side,
That once held captive against your will,
You are changed for the rest of your life.