Nighttime often finds me conversing
With the moon, my loyal sentry;
But when Love's memories come to call
Too willingly I grant them entry

At times the moon seems indifferent,
And behind clouds vanishes from sight;
(He too sails an ocean of darkness --
With loneliness that matches my plight.)

As distant bells announce the twelfth hour
Solitude spreads its cloak of gray,
How can I dismiss those memories
That still guide my footsteps by day?

As ghosts of love come marching past me--
What yearnings these visions invite;
And while I'm absorbed in reverie
My bleak realm is aglow with Love's light

Grateful, I relive  those lost moments ---
Those joys  Fate has chosen  to smite,
When Yesterday's hand gently guides me
Through those hours of unbridled delight

With or without the moon's radiance,
I'll follow this path,  for I know
By and by I'll reach that green valley
Where streams of sweet memories flow

There's a void in my life that I can't explain,
A vacant wasteland of untouched terrain;
A candle waiting for someone to light . . .
Who am I missing tonight?

Was he in the crowd, did we pass in the street?
On some occasion did our eyes chance to meet?
A faceless form slips in and out of sight...
Who am I missing tonight?

Does he think of the girl  that he never met?
Is he cursing Fate for this unpaid debt?
Does he also ask as he dims the light:
"Who am I missing tonight?"

Now Time has reclaimed my borrowed youth
And I fear I shall die not knowing the truth;
But I'll not be silenced, though  Death tries to smite
My relentless cry, as I'm drawn toward the Light . . .
Who was I missing each night?

He'll take the helm and guide me through
The storms besieging my soul;
When doubt leads to indecisiveness
He'll step in and take control

He'll be the wind beneath my wings,
Saving me from swift descent;
He'll intervene when he perceives
A choice that I might repent

He'll know my strengths and weaknesses,
For he will have forged the key
That permits entry to my heart,
Revealing each mystery

Before my cup of hope is drained
He'll refill it to the brim;
He'll tranquilize my restlessness
With poetry, or a hymn

But cherished most will be his love
That's searching relentlessly
For a heart to combine with his
In flawless harmony.
This is the man I've yet to meet . . .
These are the things yet to be

What is my purpose for being
In a world that I find quite insane?
If given but a glimpse of Fate's scroll
I might know if my birth was in vain

Baffling questions rob me of peace . . .
Why am I here, and why at this hour?
To kindle Love's torch for the lonely ?
To give strength to weak men who cower?

Am I here to sharpen the sword
When the battle's about to be lost?
Might I calm and appease the tempest
As the frigate's being helplessly tossed?

Am I destined to be the beacon
For a traveler who has lost his way
When Life drops its mantle of darkness,
And neither sun nor moon lends its ray?

Perhaps I'm to be the salvation
Of some fool hurrying toward Hell's gate;
But each day seems so ordinary ---
I've no glorious feats  to relate

Will the answer be found in my poems?
When into my soul I dip my pen,
Might I alter the course of the world
Causing Heaven to shout out Amen?!

O please, pardon this bit of folly ---
Now and then I must create reprieves
From Life's ridiculous mandates
To escape the tangled web it weaves

And so I still find myself pondering
What Life has kept so well concealed:
Its mysteries, conundrums and puzzles,
And my purpose . . . yet to be revealed!

A darkness hovered over me  
Like a mourning widow's veil,    
But I knew Love could dispel such gloom  --  
(I'd read that in a fairy tale)

In my loneliness I despaired,
Awaiting my prince and his kiss;
Then doubt and fear merged with loneliness . . .  
Could Love's bridge span such an abyss?

Though caught in the grips of darkness
I still sought salvation's light,
And while Fate scoffed at my brazenness
Hope's hallowed flame kept burning bright

And then came that glorious moment
The hand of Fate could not subdue;
My dormant heart awoke to Love's kiss,
Proving fairy tales do come true!

Awake at last, I savored Life
With a sweetness I'd never known;
Love marched in and swept me off my feet,
Trampling  seeds of woe Fate had sown

But Fate always claims victory ---
This Love was not mine to keep;
Bitter is the song of loneliness,
Once again, it lulls me to sleep

Life has dealt harshly with me at times  
Throughout the passing years,
But with Love to guide me through each trial,
There was no need for tears

Though wealth never sought my company
Nor on my footpath tread,
The treasure of Love belonged to me,
So not a tear was shed

How many dreams ended on a heap,
Hewn by Fate's reckless shears!
But I had Love to encourage me  . . .
I gave no thought to tears

Then a dark cloud hovered overhead --
Love had abandoned me;
Now, ever since that heart-wrenching day,
My tears flow endlessly