The Ultimate Confinement



My room is a place with
Four walls, a floor,
And an endless, empty void
Where the ceiling should be.

There are no windows or doors,
No way to escape.

With neither sun nor moon
Keeping me company,
Time becomes abstract,
No longer measured
In terms of day and night,
But in moments of
Repose and activity.

Fleeting images form:
Friends and foes,
Allies and adversaries,
Lovers, losers,
Mentors, menaces…
A world full of visages and
Heretofore forgotten faces.

This room’s duality –
My sanctuary and prison –
Heals and haunts me.

Memories and fantasies
Fill my soul with
Fright and fascination;
I am crowded in solitude,
Deafened by the sounds
Of ongoing silence.

This room – my mind –
Is my safe haven
And my tomb;
I love it here.

Let me out.

© 2005 by Robert E. Blackwell