concrete breath

ground vanishin
air yankin at my clothes
stomach lurchin
walls scrapin skin
in a blur of grey and brown
as I fall
fall
fall

skin catchin on jagged edges
dust blindin my eyes
til I hit bottom hard
bones rattlin
dirt risin in a cloud round me
settlin in my mouth
chokin me before it even begins

I look up
into a circle of sky
too small to hope for
too far to touch

then I hear it
that wet sludgy gulp
concrete spillin over
crawlin down the walls
thick grey river
slow
unstoppable
smell of liquid stone
fillin the air

I panic

clawin at the walls
hands scrapin
til they’re covered in blood and mud
tryin to wedge into cracks
that aren’t even there
heart slammin so hard
I think it’s gonna split me open

screamin
beggin
voice crackin
like it’ll stop
if I plead with it
but the concrete doesn’t stop

it kisses my feet
in an icy burn
grabbin my ankles
climbin
clingin
hardenin as it moves
like it’s alive
like it’s thinkin while it swallows me

I try to lift myself
press my back to the wall
anythin to keep my chest above it
but it keeps risin
slow
patient
like it knows I’ll tire out
and it’s got all the time

I sob
can’t breathe
every breath tastes like dust
like blood
like fear

I fight til I can’t feel my legs
til my arms give out
til I’m chest deep in grey
trapped
hands poundin
tryin to push it down
tryin to claw one last breath
before it slides up my neck

fills my mouth
fills my nose
my last breath gurgles out
eyes wide
starin up at that tiny sky
and right before the dark
swallows everythin

it resets
the drop
the dirt
the grey spill
and again I panic
again I fight
again I beg
tryin different ways
new lies
new prayers
anythin. anythin. anythin
but it ends the same

and when I finally can’t anymore
when I have nothin left to fight with
when my voice is gone
hands shredded
hope bled dry
I just sink down
onto that cold dirt
feel the concrete touch me
crawlin over me
huggin me like a tomb
and I let it take me

no scream
no breath
no fight
and right before it sets
right before I disappear
I sigh
I know
it’s not over
and it’ll never fuckin end