Wallflower *

Sixty-eight steps
From solitude to terror;
Always anonymous.

Another lifetime
- Coffee beans, moccasins, sweet jasmine -
Like fading photos.

Interview room.
Scalding lights and searing sound.
Not one question.

Cradle of the night.
Heavy boots kick down unlocked doors,
Stamp out liberty.

Shock away thought.
Fists punctuate propaganda:
Two and two is five.

Infinity.
Forgotten sunshine or steel-capped boots:
Which hurts more?

Broken man.
Long limp down a cold, bright corridor.
Eight-nine steps.


[* Title and inspiration taken from the Peter Gabriel song of the same name.]