IN THE DARKNESS OF THIS HELL
this pit of anguish
these steel bands of despair
none know, none see
the darkness within
none sense the tortures
inflicted by each day
here frozen in panic
sick but without death
nothing works
no attempt to change
yields any growth
every action
fades away like dreams
every effort
dissolves as mists
before a crueller sun
no matter how sure
somehow we always fail
no matter how hard
we try to succeed
nothing comes of it
there is never anything
to show for all our work
all our sweat, our prayers
the few good things
within this life
are not enough
to counter all our pain
in fact, these precious treasures
redouble fear
as they are threatened
by this monster of a world
why can't we find
a way from here,
a path whose steps
do not destroy
the self, the soul,
the spirit, mind,
a way of going
which leads to light?
- Brendan Tripp
09/26/2001
Copyright © 2001 by Brendan Tripp