He’s pounding on the wall
and I’m running, mindfully
careful not to fall
lest I be at the end of such malice
[thud. thud-thud]
Anger channeled as force
raging through the empty house
a tool of the source
reaching out, softening me up with sound
[thud. THUD-thud]
Each closer than the last
broken by heavy foot falls
that trample my past
a slow rhythm to pound out the meters
[THUD. THUD-THUD]
It strikes above me now
a torrent of breath heaving
smiling somehow
as if he knows my heart and devours it.