Dust gathers
Settling thick on lonely walls
Doors seldom opened
The hinges creak and bind
Force through to empty rooms
To cobwebs and neglect
A vacant stare
Eye toward eye
An intervening wall
Frail and impenetrable
Look away, look away
Respite in dark corners
Refuge in cold palms
Burning bridges never built
A cold clock face
Counting chances slipping by
Measuring paralysis in metered doses
Lenghts of frayed and broken wire
A spackled ceiling
Collecting cold heat
Caving under pressure of thoughts left unsaid
Consume this room in flame
Tear the doors from rotten frames
Burning, breaking, turning in
Breaching, searching, reaching out
Leave one less broken lock to rust
Sweep away this choking dust
November 30, 2001