Sparks of rage smothered the chamber walls
Pressed for free expression
Clamoring for open dialogue
Mounting stench enveloped the dreary halls
Silence controlled
Unwillingness
Unmovable
Bantering of sorts introduced
Joining the other masked forces
Resolution never emanant
Taunts of perfection prevailed
Lights turned dim
With haunting stares
Audible
Pounding heart
Gasping
The final words
The stand off takes a different turn
Brutal to death

____from Songs of a Journey's End, a poet's companion to the tetralogy, Laying Within the Mark