A Long Dark Hallway Where the Lights Never Come On

There’s a long dark hallway

Where the lights never come on

And that’s what I see

When I leave

My apartment

When I moved in

The hallway looked fine

It was daytime

And I didn’t notice

How narrow it was

Or how it had

The one hanging lightbulb

That you see

In interrogation rooms

I couldn’t tell

If the lights were on

Or off

Because I was so preoccupied

With getting my loveseat

Through the door

Without damaging anything

It wasn’t until

I was all moved in

And my friends left

And I felt hungry

And I went to make my first

Journey into my new neighborhood

That I opened the door

And saw the long, long walk

To the elevator

That was the first time

I heard the crackle

Of the electricity

And the unnatural silence

Behind each door

Where there should be

The sounds of neighbors

Television and telephone calls

But instead

Nothing

That night I stayed in

And the next night

And the next

Anytime I would force myself

To leave at night

I’d stay out

In a stranger’s bed

Or on the couch of a friend

Just so I wouldn’t have to get in the elevator

Have the doors open

And see that long dark hallway

Waiting for me

The darkness was compounded

By the single lightbulb

Always being out

And the fluorescent lights above

Never coming on

Although the super told me

They’re supposed to have

Motion sensors

But I walk and then run

And the only light I get

Are the slender embers

Pooling out

From under the doors

Of neighbors

I can’t hear

I wonder if they can hear me rasping

As I run, out of shape

Hoping the elevator is already

At our floor

So that I won’t have to wait long

Before the door opens

And I can step inside

One night I’m in a hurry

Because I ran out of my medication

And so I need to go

To the all-night pharmacy

But the elevator won’t come up

And so I move to the stairs

But when I’m in the well

There are no lights in there either

And I hear what sounds like

Someone running up towards me

And so I quickly return

To my apartment

And tell myself

I can make it to the morning

And that I’ll just sleep off

Any episodes

That night I dream

Of a hallway so long

You can’t see the end of it

On either side

The light coming

From under doors

Is dim and refusing

To flicker

So that I can tell

If somebody is up

Or asleep

With their tv on

I run and run

But then the doors disappear

And then the floor

And then everything but me

So that I’m running in place

But in nothing

Around nothing

Then I hear a knock

And somebody asks

If I’m okay

But it’s not morning yet

So I let them knock

And say nothing

Otherwise I might

Have to let

Them in