the lights go out, and darkness encroaches
the only sound, the loud scratching of roaches
I turn my head, and the phantom appears
always in shadows, but still always near
the floorboards of my heart creak loudly inside
with every step, forbidding me to hide
even the darkness brings no relief
from the maggots of despair prohibiting sleep
I can feel them squish as they eat out my core
rot and decay is all that’s left anymore
the darkness pervades every aspect of death
blindly i grope, the stench stealing my breath
scratching in vane my fingers without nails
the only result is more bloody trails
the walls are unyielding, the demons won’t leave
the concept of light i cannot conceive
the arachnids are fleeing, from the corners they scrabble
their scritching barely heard over buzzing flies babble
the flames are still black, but the unmistakable crackle
threatens to drown out the demons’ hoarse cackle
my body is covered in scars, and fresh stitches
the larvae ooze forth, the grotesqueness bewitches
the senses deny it’s my flesh that they eat
denies that my death is what makes them replete