Spirits

Spirits fermenting within
Belied by external toughness
An outer shell – solid
As rock, protecting
What lay within
You were impenetrable.

I say a prayer for you
In midnight mass
As the seasons pass
As I kneel in the pew
I am one of the few
Left to mourn for you

You are liberated from life
Like a convict freed
Like a slave unleashed
But you don't come back
To haunt me as you promised
And I am almost disappointed.