All the world is conquered

All the world is conquered,

And the stubborn stain of

Revolution rubbed out.

Who are you? I’m

A question unasked.

I’m dry river beds, I’m

Bleeding tongues. I’m

Crumbling walls, I’m

Shrivelled fingers. I’m

Empty eyes, I’m fraught,

I’m chaos, I’m naked.

I’m the shame of the shameless.

I’m a million ghosts, I’m

Nothing in return. I’m

Another voice, another

Face, another no one to forget.

I’m fresh oblivion, day

By day, I’m the sign of the cross.

I’m a shapeless spectre, I’m

A shadow, I’m a pall. I’m

The pill you never swallow,

I’m the cure and I’m the cause.

I’m the scream and I’m the silence,

I’m nothing at all. I’m

The devil in the detail, I’m

A body in the street. I’m

Close to death, I’m

Still alive. I’m flower petals

Crushed underfoot. I’m

The sweet scent still hanging

In the air, I’m the stench

Of decay. I’m withered, I’m

Rotten, I’m shiny gold. I’m

Resignation, I’m resentment.

I’m what’s left behind.

All the world is conquered,

And the stubborn stain of

Humanity rubbed out.