I Am A Lantern (Changed)..(by James Leland Ludeau III from Lafayette,LA)

i wake up
and i feel rocks beneath my feet
they dig into the soles
a dull, pressing ache
i try to move my arms
and find that i am unable
i scream out
but i hear nothing
my mouth is gagged
my hands tied behind me
and i smell the stench of lighter fluid
i hear your voice
preaching to whomever it is that is listening
i can not see
my eyes covered with burlap
and if you treat me this way
the least you could do is let me watch
but you were always a coward
ignorant
filled with hate
and i don't even stand trial
i just stand on this pyre
and i hear the crowd chant
"fire...fire...fire"
and i hear the match strike
and hear the match hit the ground
i feel the energy of the match meeting the fuel
and i smell what is coming my way
i begin to feel the heat on my back
the wooden stake i am tied to becomes warm
then hot
then unbearable
the burlap begins to fill with smoke, choking me
and i am gasping for breath
full of fear
but calm
i've given up fighting you
fighting this
i feel my flesh roasting
burning through adipose tissue
and peeling away from my bones
i feel the rocks beneath my feet
glowing red
glowing from your hate
i feel my hair burning to the root
the smell of my own burning flesh
asphyxiates me
and in that moment i know that i am no longer
as the fire becomes more intense
fueled by my own body
it burns through what's left of me
like paper i burn
i crumble
but it ends
and as the crowd leaves
the voice of my soul says "go home folks, nothing left to see here"
but that is untrue
for from the smoldering rocks
i am reborn
with a new purpose
a new power
with wide open eyes
and i contain Light in my palms
I am a lantern
and i will shine brightly
cast my Light onto the shadows of your ignorance
i will erase your hate
i will conquer you with love
and like a bullet to your brain it will be swift
and you will never even remember that you once hated me