Horizontal Utterly Still

HORIZONTAL UTTERLY STILL

Horizontal and utterly still
His heart and diaphragm
The only muscles within
His body not entirely relaxed
Sound the only stimulant
To his semiconscious senses

Clip Clip Clip CLIp CLIP
Shhhhhhttt
To halt

The silence between
Arrival and action hisses
Deafening white-noise
As adrenaline screams
Yet he chooses not to look
He keeps his eyes closed

A tink-chinkling of chimes
Small metals not hanging free
The whole gathered bunch
Tink-chlink-chinkling
On the swing-chain
To SMASH a CRASHING
Collision against flat solid metal

The silent Tick Tick Tick
Of seconds sounds a riotous fear
Through tissue-ligament-bone
Trained to conditioning
Every muscle shrieks
To be flexed
To instigate the unconscious regimen
Yet he chooses to remain still
He keeps his eyes closed

A tlick of little ridges tapped
One after the other metallic tumbling
Inserted into narrow openings
Metal against metal
With a slight resistant friction
Punctuated by a solid
CLICK

Such tiny sounds amplify
Within Silence
Echoing a volume
Four stories deep floor to ceiling

Echo overlaps echo
Singing in cannon
As each incidence draws
Gradually closer
Closer CLoser CLOser CLOSer CLOSEr CLOSER
Clip---shhhhht-----rattle----- tink-chinkle-----tlick-----
CLICK . . .

R U M B L E . . .
Tones of sliding metal
Thunder forth
Upon metal roller wheels
Ringing out as only metal can sing

There should be movement
It has always followed these sounds
Regimented
Executed
Daily without divergence

Yet today
This one morning, decidedly
Assertive defiance stationary
On conscious overruling
Pacifying conditioning

Eyes closed
He remains horizontal
Utterly still
Listening
As consequence draws closer

CLICK . . .
R U M B L E . . .
Tones of sliding metal
Thundering forth
Upon metal roller wheels
Ringing out as only metal can sing