Gives Up The Fight
i walk through the hallway
the coldness
the blankness
of the empty walls
the doors are closed
a separate isolation
a separate entity
lays behind each and every
gray metal door
i walk through the hallway
until i find the open door
it is open but an inch
but it is open
so i turn the handle
i push
as the eerie creaks echo
and the dust from a thousand
years floats into the air
but settles down
only a few inches further
the light from the hallway is dim
so i must strain to try and see
to understand
for there is no light inside
i cough and choke
an the dank and dismal air
suffer with the sickening stench
i move the cob-webbed furniture
to find what i am looking for
i feel afraid to breathe
i feel afraid to move
for the room may take
offense to me even slightly
changing it
i find the safe
hidden in the corner
the lock is cold
i turn the dial
and i turn, and turn, and turn
and as if the safe gives up the fight
the barrels click
and the door moves
i open it
only to find
a barren and empty center
all that work
all that time
all that hope
only to go down
the hallway again
Copyright Janet Kuypers.
All rights reserved. No material
may be reprinted without express permission.
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