Torpor - Peter Hammill

Torpor rolls upon me in a fog

Settles like a sweat upon the skin

Hungers for the lungs to empty, breathe the darkness in

Heavily, the day hangs, on a thread

Loaded on my shoulders hour by hour

Each unfolding moment holds me deep down in its power

Torpor has us tight within its grasp

Studied in inaction day by day

Painted in a corner by the gifts we give away

I find it hard to breathe

I can’t maintain the pace

Feels like I’m slowing irreversibly

And there’s no knowing where this leads

For torpor has us tight within its coils

Strangled in inaction day by day

Painted in a corner, all adrift we slip away

Deceleration down to walking pace

Circling in search of a safe space

I find it hard to speak

The words remain unformed

Feels like I’m slowing imperceptibly

And there’s no knowing where this ends

No, there’s no knowing where this ends