A shadow falls where light once danced,
In the silence, heavy, entranced.
A word unspoken, a heart undone,
For every wrong, the battle's won.
A glance of judgment, sharp and cold,
Innocence bruised, stories untold.
The lash of guilt, a quiet storm,
Twists the soul, distorts the norm.
Yet what is learned from pain’s embrace?
What seeds take root in such a place?
Do walls arise, or bridges burn,
When punishment leaves none to learn?
Perhaps in mercy, in softer breath,
We find a way through life and death.
For punishment, though sharp and true,
May yield more loss than hope anew.

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