a mechanical hiss
permeates
the darkness
the sullen drip
of liquid lazily plopping
into a stagnant pool
punctuates
this rasping breathing
of the machine

fungus
is the only thing
that thrives
in this abomination
of living conditions
the spores
cling
to the porous mortar
between
blackened cinder blocks

the lone light
swings
with a polluted
yellow nimbus
that does nothing to
penetrate
the palpable sensation
of the all encompassing
dark
in the bowels
of the mechanism