A dark empty room
A masked enemy
And impending doom
A fear with no remedy
Hands tied
The echo of a plea
No one to reply
Desperate to be free

A black comb was near
Strong rope in a twist
The edge like a spear
Dragged across the wrist
A flow of blood
Undid the tight grasp
But now a red flood
And a nervous gasp

A shoe lace
Tied on the forearm
A bloody trace
An act of harm
Purpose to escape
Eyes searching for hope
No fight without a scrape
Not much besides the rope

A stone with some weight
As smooth as leather
A rusty nail, long and straight
Working together
The sturdy doorknob
Would not unlock
A shaky sob
Knock, knock, knock

Freedom in sight
Swinging of the door
By the enemy’s might
Please, no more
Jabbing a nail
In his eye
An angry wail
To the enemy, goodbye

Clarissa is a 17-year-old from New Mexico.