I know what it is

to be ignored

To dwell in shadows cast

by the brightest of lights

Hidden away

so few may see.

Most

think me stranger

because my

guardians

have become my

captors

but I,

I have known you

for nearly a century.

I have given birth

to your tales of heroism

and despair,

I have fueled

the sleeping and waking dreams

of both children

and men

-These are my sustenance-

I would not survive

without them.

I have been

marginalized

and minimized

because my

guardians

have become my

captors

but they,

they are not my Keepers.

Theirs

are not the hands

that cradle me

and hold me to lips,

that raise me over heads

and up to the heavens

They

are not my Champions.

My guardians

have become my captors

but you,

dedicated soul,

you

are my only Salvation,

and the Glory of Victory

is the only reward