The Catch

I prayed for it so hard, you know.

On my knees, or walking through the wet street,

a whisper, then a shout,

that one thing, just to make it sweet.

And then it came. The sudden call,

the door that opened, just for me.

I stood there, feeling ten feet tall,

not knowing what the cost would be.

It was a trap, a bitter prize,

the gilded cage I'd asked to hold.

That perfect thing behind my eyes,

its true price never to be told.

It brought the thing I thought I craved,

then stripped the ground right from my feet.

My soul, perhaps, was truly saved,

but everything else tasted defeat.