Breath Ignited

-
I have passed these marbled, garbled hallways
so my shoulders graze the pallid walkways
all the while watching days and days
dither to a soundless wail.

The night upon me’s overcrowding;
the moon above is light abounding,
The wind’s blowing a resounding
whisper straight from the bowels of Hell.

I thought I might be quickly losing
all manner of my mindful choosing
and slinking back the acrid boozing
shadows of the dell,

when at once came a knocking,
a swiftly rapping, grain-fed socking,
scratching at the tender backing
of my gently nodding skull.

It was a subtle reminder of the end of it my dear,
the indubitable end of the line I feared,
it would be the last time that I neared
the confusion in the water wells.

My legacy was no longer wanted,
the land my fathers bore was haunted
with my bequested chivalry undaunted
and I turned on my liquid heels.

I turned to wave a goodbye goodnighted,
the final prayer unrequited.
With all the wanting, sifting slighted,
my final breath is breath ignited.

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