Stairs to nowhere

It looks like you're climbing
stairs to nowhere.
It looks like that window's
cemented shut.
It looks like this foundation
is cracked, top to bottom.
It's a dead end,
a waste of time;
there's a bad feeling in my gut.
It's possible I'm too close,
my perspective is off,
and if I pull away
and lean into the light,
I'll see there's a walkway,
an escape hatch or path;
a turning point before
you fall into the hole.
But having fallen down these stairs myself
I find I cannot watch and continue breathing,
and so I turn away and listen with bated breath
to the frantic apprehension of my hammering heart.


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