Echoing through the caverns
Like hieroglyphics etched into the wells
Through the crevices that led me in
And shut me out
Just as quick

A single drip of water
From each direction that it fell
Blotched caricatures of a man
Signalling smoke out for help

Down comes another quarter
It’s wallet forever out of reach
Smacking against the concrete
It spins a few feet in front of me
Until I see

The reflection of the sunlight
Offering a sigh of relief
Exhaling the shadows creeping over
Suggesting an intentional leave

Reaching out toward the rung
The first step, or last to some
Corroded metal crumbles from my touch
Both delicate and rough
Once a symbol of its strength
Now flakes turned to dust
Remaining on my fingertips
A layer of chalk coloured rust