Seven Steps to the Wall

Seven steps to the wall
And turn around
Seven steps to the window
Turn around
Three steps to the table — step around
Move the chair 'til it is square
And then sit down
Don’t turn around
There
Is a man
In a room
Empty place
There’s a wall
A table
And a chair
… His face
He wants to write something down
He wants to sing a song
Or paint something
Lie down and fade away
Or get up and get away
To the beat of the marching feet
In the heat of the prison heat
There
There’s the sun
Through the bars
Cutting swathes
Lighting dust
I love dust
That it’s there
That it falls
He wants to write something down…
Seven steps to the wall…
There
Is a man
In a room
Empty place
There’s a wall
A table
Some paper
… His face
He wants to write something down…
There
All my life
Where there’s white
I have words
So I write…
What I hear
… Perfect white
… With no words
It is thin
But it’s clear
It is thin but it’s clear