Where the Voices Come From - A Villanelle
It kills him not to know where the voices come from
They are an overpowering burden, a crushing weight,
He waits for the day that he will grow numb
They start off as an imperceptible hum
Then they whisper to him the inner working of hate
It kills him not to know where the voices come from
Anything to dampen their voices to grumbles and hums
We know what you're coming from, they hiss, no use in running from your fate
He waits for the day that he will grow numb
He shuts his eyes, the impenetrable darkness a vision of what he will become
He clasps his hands in prayer, pleads and begs for the ceaseless grating to abate
It kills him not to know where the voices are coming from
Short of breath, thoughts built on corrupted advice, heart beating like a frenzied drum
He clings to reality by his fingertips, all he can do is wait
He fears the night he will go completely numb
He crawls into the abyss, the deepest darkest slum
Somewhere behind him he feels the footsteps quicken, hunger in that change of gait
It kills him not to know where the voices are coming from
He sees clearly in the night he will go numb.