What Is This Place?

Not sure how many of you are aware of this, I'm going to assume the majority of you are not, April is National Poetry Month.  And since it is National Poetry Month and I am somewhat of a poet I figured I would share some of my poems.

This poem, which I titled What Is This Place?, is the first poem I ever wrote.  It was seventh grade English and it was the first time I was introduced to poetry.  As you can see, even back then I had a propensity towards the darker side of life.

Nowhere to run
Nowhere to hide
The house was on fire
And I was inside
Surrounded 
By the smoldering inferno
You must come
Said the flames
Creeping slowly toward me
It is time
No I cried no
But my words 
Could not be heard
Over the roaring fire
Yes whispered the flames
In my ear yes
And that is the last thing
I heard before I was taken
Taken to a living hell
No doors
No windows
No place to escape
I was stranded
Stranded in a living hell
Surrounded by a ring of fire
While the devil
Laughed and mocked me
No time to rest
No time to play
No time to do anything
But work
I hated this place
Where I could not love
Where I could not cry
Where I could do nothing
To resist the laughter
That surrounded me
No doors
No windows
No place to escape
I was stranded
Stranded in a living hell
Where the devil
Laughed and mocked me

What is this place?
But a prison of despair.