Words swirl around this emptiness
Like falsely cheery sparrows circling
A dull leaden grey sky, devoid of light
And awaiting a sun never-rising.
The water it stands stagnant –
Not silvery clear, not sharp and brisk,
No insistent urge in its liquid surge.
All safe and still, no rushing risk.
The clouds gather above the wasteland
No character, no form, no power,
No promise, only a hideous heaviness
That blots out all hope for laughter.