Sitting at a round, gray lunch table being fed lies and fiction.

This is where my trust was looted.

Chasing a headmaster’s daughter who laughed at my puppy dog looks.

This is where my confidence was shattered.

In a locker room eating punches and mashing my teeth.

This is where the hate grew inside me.

In a chapel being commanded to stand.

This is where my faith dwindled.

In a camp cursing venom and rage.

This is where I cried for help.

And then I was forgotten,

Another face lost in the crowd,

Another student body statistic,

Another damaged, delinquent kid.

This is where I lost my faith.

My cozy hellhole where the wolves wore painted smiles and the snakes slithered in harmony.

And he said, with a stern look and honesty on his tongue,

“You’re going to hell and you don’t even know it.”