the walls do not fall

the bone-frame was made for
no such shock knit within terror,
yet the skeleton stood up to it:


the flesh? it was melted away,
the heart burnt out, dead ember,
tendons, muscles shattered, outer husk dismembered,


yet the frame held:
we passed the flame: we woner
what saved us? what for?


from "The Walls Do Not Fall", Trilogy (1944-1946) by H.D. (Hilda Doolittle).