The bird watcher.

Sitting and watching the comings and goings

The happy farewells and the tearful hello-ings

The sadness and stillness and long pensive nights

The tears of the weary who wailed at their plight

The bad and the guilty and good who'd done wrong

He listened along to their pitiful song

He listened intently and never once sought

To give them relief from the pain that they'd brought

That wasn't his remit, his duty or task

The questions not questioned, they weren't his to ask

Nor answers to give nor pleas to appease

He listened to prayers from men on their knees

Men with no God but men who now swore

To live better lives for the God they'd ignored

If only he'd help them, they'd beg and entreat

No more would they lie, steal, kill, hurt or cheat

He'd watch as they paced and they sat and they lay

As they stared at the walls until night turned to day

He'd watch as they jumped at the sound of the key

As they'd try to regain some raw dignity

To try and pretend that they weren't really scared

To snarl at the world with their vicious teeth bared

He'd know as they knew that it was all a front

That they'd cried and they'd trembled and all that they want

Is to walk through that door and to never return

Though some of them would, some folk never learn

He'd wish each man well, though the words were unheard

His face, though well seen, was always ignored

And when those he'd watched had left him alone

Having gone to that somewhere that they called their home

He stayed where he sat in this place they'd thought hell

That brick in the wall of that cold prison cell

J2H.