What if, lying abed, you did
Not dare speak?
Paralyzed by fear
I hold my thoughts.
Syllables burn up in
Searing white fire.
The feet tangle.
Two stand, but for
Three steps.
Directions lead where?
North, south, east, west?
Go down then
Hear language
Decay.
Sight darkens.
Mouth loses
Voice, breath. Have care,
Teeth cut more than tongue.
Draw signs, see portents, repeat.
Beware.
Ears communicate. Falsehoods balance
Facts.
Others beside
Oxford know when this must end.
Without symbols signifying thought
Maybe chaos leaves humans
Equal animals
Again.
Descend lower.
Touch
Numbed
Taste
Captured
Smell
Dissolved away like
Smoke.
All five undone.
Communication ceases
And both are love.
8 August 2016
