---

All words betray us,

Muffled, useless sounds,

The gritting of teeth is all I hear.

I see faces clenched,

Mouths shut tight,

Forms pulsating with restraint.

All around they indicate,

The tedium of captivity,

Signifying lives,

Eclipsed by impotence.

This world both sweet and bitter

Is all conflict and calm,

Excess and famine,

A place of limited freedom.

Each element annuls the other,

Until we have and feel nothing,

Until our only desire is to survive.