Paying Penance

He was imprisoned
Within the penitentiary
Of his mind,
Doing penance
For some long
Forgotten sin.
He felt as if
He had been
Unjustly sentenced
To a life of
Solitary confinement,
For even though
There were plenty
Of others around,
He couldn’t relate
To any of them.
It was as if
They spoke
A different language,
For the sounds
They made
Had no meaning,
And they seemed
Not to understand
Anything he said.
What he needed
Was a grant of
Clemency
Freeing him from
The prison of his head.