If Hope Dies

we must bend the bars
of these cages around our hearts
deconstruct the confines
of a weary existence
smash apart the stones
piled high upon our chests
and take in our first
breaths of freedom
there is no waiting for
life to come strike us
we must seek it out
if we are to feel it's touch
and i resolve to seize each day
and not let go until
my hands can't hold
we
must not
separate ourselves from life
cherish and prize each breath
taken upon this earth
this is our only chance
one life, and then it's over
you've just got to decide
if you'll live life on your knees
a clear choice
between revolution and apathy
if the pain is too much,
you can look to me
i'll be there to help you up,
up to your feet
we must forge a path
straight through to the light
raise ourselves up before
we fade into the night
sinking down we are drowning
in a pool of despair
watching as our lives are
wrenched away from our hands
this is the match
held to the fuse
the spark that will
ignite change
we'll sift through the
wreckage left behind
and dance among the
ruins of our prisons