- makeswordswork
Oubliette
Updated: Jul 8, 2021

I put him in there years ago,
blocked off the windows,
secured the roof.
I couldn’t usually hear his pacing
though I knew that’s what he did -
one day I knew he'd stopped,
settled in a corner.
He makes things down there -
I don't know what -
willing something out of nothing
in the dark.
I don’t know if he marks the days.
I'm careful to bring food and water.
I may be cruel, but I’m not a monster.
There’s a way these things are done.
I don’t go far from here myself.
It feels right somehow,
like keeping a contract,
peaceful:
there’s worse things you could do
with your life.
Writing by ADRIAN SALMON
Artwork by MARILYN JANE