Will you bang your head on my wall?

Will you bang your head on my wall?

(in the Rothko Room, Tate Modern, London, January 2016)

Come into my prison,

come

be my guest,

feel what I know.

Spend time in my darkness

among the colours of my night,

here in my place of shades,

where doors are blocked,

no light comes in,

and everything fades.

Will you bang your head on my wall,

or will you see your way?

Do you think, or do you only stare?

There are bars on the window

to keep you safe, but does that mean

there must be something out there?

Do you dare to dwell in my space,

make it your own?

Why don’t you come in,

bring the horrors that you face?

Your mind can take you anywhere –

through walls, closed windows and doors,

but do stay right here,

among my soft maroons and dim lights.

This haven I made for us all

is the perfect place for those lonely nights.

Why would you want to break out of here,

what do you think you would find?

Will you bang your head on my wall?