The cold darts in like a scalpel And cuts away the scraps of sleep It exploits my weaknesses ‘Til cracks creak wide in my old skin Shivers flow down my body The muscles jerk and snap Livid flags in February wind The lightbulbs gutter as I roam These frigid, bloodless halls Where the enzymes drip down slow And despairing villi beg for my warm breath Silence rests a velvet hand On all the starved pests and empty beds And the time draws near for me To leave this place behind