I tap upon the closed rusty gate
rubbled rhyme scattered lines
abandoned alliteration abound
forgotten & unwritten elegies
untranslatable verbiage
graffitied upon the walls
shall another villanelle be scribed
no sonnet – refrain nor quatrain
all words lost in the dry inkwell
crying into lurching shadows
voice & inspiration decimated to dust
is this the day after the end of the word
unexcavated verse
disintegrated quill & gall
beseeching mute ghazals
searching for my muse amongst the ruins
kneeling to beseech forlorn gods
I rap upon the rusty gate
TERRENCE SYKES