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Archie Williams

Archie Williams

he walked out

on to the stage

dressed to the nines

with an open smile

and an easy way

about him

but when the AGT judges

asked him to talk a bit about himself

his story shattered

that initial impression

of carefree

he was 22

when his world went dark

convicted of a horrible crime

he did not commit

nearly 37 years went by

as he sat there in a cold, hard cell

forgotten

waiting for somebody somewhere

to run his fingerprints

against the national database

and after nearly 37 years

somebody somewhere

finally did

and while he’ll never ever get back

the time he lost

he never wasted any of it

on what might have been

but on what could be

instead of getting weaker

year after year

behind bars

he got stronger

and stronger

and stronger

he never gave up

on himself

and his dreams

at 59

he walked out

on to the stage

dressed to the nines

a free man

and sang …

“don’t let the sun

go down on me”

TL

Published inPoetry