There’s a door that leads into the hallway Of the house that lives under the trees Whose trunks are beleaguered with knobbles Like a twisted collection of knees The handle looks faintly organic Any moment it might come alive The paint is like vertical shadows And the number is seventy-five
The foot of the stairs is before you And the door sidles shut to your rear The carpet is damp and disfigured And the walls are uncomfortably near The windows are coated with algae So the light is all mottled and rank The varnish and the paper are peeling And curtains hang mouldy and lank
There’s a hole in the wall with an angle And a view of the kitchen within There’s a nest in the bowl on the table There are rats living out of the bin Disjointed lugubrious echoes Of a whisper without any voice The spoons haven't stirred in a decade So the cups haven't had any choice
It’s then you should really be leaving But you've taken your time and the bait For a sound of a footstep behind you And a voice saying simply "too late" There’s a breath on the bone of your collar It’s as cold as a final decree There’s death to be found in that kitchen And a death that came looking for me