Locked in, boxed in,

white walls, fresh floors, four walls,

windowless, airless, colourless – suffocation.

I breathe in panic

I choke in pain

I heave in frustration

screaming inside my head:

help, let me out,

give me air, give me space, give me life!

I lie there, huddled, shallow breaths,

darting eyes, mane around, no surprise.

Dead, beat, battered out,

pale cheeks, purple pout,

shaking hands, legs curled, legs bound,

squeezed bands, stomach cramps, head pounds.

Times like these I feel like crying

Times like these I feel I’m dying.

18 November 2009