Thirst Poem by Phillip Erb

Gravel veins link the quiet arteries of a ghost town,
From my roost, two or three scattered denizens
Wear faces bewildered - if not altogether lost -
Around in circles a young girl promenades;
Perhaps wondering when everyone left,
Where they went, and why they rushed away.
My signals go unnoticed from the belfry,
I claw at the spirits holding me hostage,
Pawing at my soul, I claw the flesh raw, but
Nothing will separate the bottleneck of
Hunger and thirst, longing and ache, burden and chain.