There's a darker side that settles here

Beneath the wall of flames

That encase this tender thread,

Shielding it from harm.

It writhes like a dying thing,

Growing larger,

Digging deeper,

And still it refuses to die.

It hangs upon the lips

Of words spoken

Far too long ago to count,

Yet there's no way

To push them out.

The walls are closing in and changing,

Shifting shape,

And there's this fear

That they'll never be clean again.

To trust in one moment,

To trust in one life,

One word,

One breath...

It would mean the end of me

And this fragile thread.