Raw

I.

I have fallen down an empty well;

A few broken bits discarded by others

Litter the ground around me,

I pick them up trying to fashion

Works of art out of what no one else wants.

Suspended high above a tunnel that is only darkness,

There is a bright ring of light.

From time to time a face peers over the edge

Scanning the void for signs of life, and,

Seeing nothing, turns away.

What is the purpose of existence?

Reaching out into the darkness

So little meaningful human contact

The distance too great;

A heart corroded by too much loneliness,

How can it keep beating?

II.

Voice

Strangled in the throat,

Hands

Tied behind the back,

Feet shackled;

But ears hear all, even the tiniest sigh,

Eyes see everything,

All the beauty of life

Heart squeezed

Unseen hands twisting, crushing

Nails digging deep

Gouging

The pain so great

Blood everywhere

This, the only tears that will be shed