Safe & Well

My last words unheard, my cold hand unheld How long had it been since I drew my last breath? But days must still dawn and coffers need swelled The meeting of targets, unhindered by death Demands overflowed while the seasons all turned Bikes blocked my doorway all day The gasman's last warning faded and sunburned Children and music still played But my neighbors could see, my neighbors could smell They flicked away maggots and flies They pled with our landlords, told all they could tell Something, or someone had died But nobody came Hundreds of emails and messages left I could not reply and no flags were raised Nobody missed me, no friend was bereft Police rang the bell once but soon left unfazed As my heart decomposed, a pandemic was tamed Everyone lived behind doors Temperatures rose, the world was in flames Fiends and fanatics fought wars And then the storm came, blew open my door Revealing what neighbors had known Bones and dust in pyjamas, my husk on the floor A life lived and ended alone And then they all came Can you hear me through your wall? Can you smell my cooking? Can you see my clothes dry on the line? Are you even looking? How can you say I'm safe and well? Can you hear me praying? All boxes ticked and paperwork filed As life goes on decaying