the words are
obstinate
today

slipsliding
sideways
to fall between
the bars
of the sewer grate
trapped in
a subterranean
warren of hastily
carved tunnels
leading deeper
downdowndown
into the bowels
of hell itself

chasing
a flashing
glimmer
of spun silver
through this
labyrinth
i hear the screams
punctuated
by the cracking
whips
unable to tell
if it is
my own screams
deafening me

deafened by
obstinance
in the fleeting
promise
of intangibilities
as the words
themselves
do not listen