Beyond Bars: Healing the Heart #1712

Beyond Bars: Healing the Heart In shadows deep, where pain resides, A soul in chains, addiction hides. We jail the lost in iron bounds, Yet fail to heal where pain abounds. The addict's cry, a silent plea, For freedom from the agony. But prison walls, they cannot cure The heart that aches, the spirit pure. Punishment may calm the storm, But cannot mend a heart that's torn. For in the depths, addiction lies, A monster fed by countless cries. What good is law without the grace To see beyond the sinner's face? To understand, to truly see The root of pain, the path to free. We need the hands of love, not hate, To guide the lost to heaven's gate. With compassion, let us strive, To help the broken hearts revive. In gentle whispers, healing starts, A touch of grace on wounded hearts. To treat the cause, not just the sign, In mercy's light, let hope align. For freedom's found not in a cell, But in the love that breaks the spell. So let us reach with open arms, To heal the heart, to calm the harms. Beyond the bars, a brighter day, Where love and grace light up the way. For in the end, we find our goal, To heal the heart, to make it whole. -Steven G. Lee (June 8, 2024)