I don't need the night to think of you,
And yet, when the sun's rays decline,
Suppressed memories make their debut
As my lips are moistened by the wine

Two ruby glasses sit on the sill,
(I fill your glass as if you were still here)
Into this red ink I dip my quill,
Resurrecting memories from their bier

Slowly I sip, alone in the dark,
While raking through the dying embers
Of memories, hoping just a spark
Will ignite as the wine remembers

A shadow moves across the wall,
One more sip .... now the flame's aglow,
Ghosts of love harken to the wine's call,
Passion has been stirred, let the wine flow!

I feel your breath, I can hear you sigh
As you gently take me in your arms,
Your trembling hand caresses my thigh,
The blessed wine is weaving its charms

To what depths will this sorcery go?
Shall I submit, or recoil in fear?
Must I dwell 'neath winter's dreadful snow .....
Or let you hold me treacherously near!

But soon the final sip will be drawn,
Then the wine will mock my aching heart,
All too soon you'll fade into the dawn,
Please, one last kiss before you depart

O, the wine imposes heavy dues!
With each sip, I'm deeper in its debt,
The wine remembers, but I must choose .....
Has the time come for us to forget?

Pursue your elusive dreams of love,
Rig the mast, set sail this very night,
Forge ahead, though the darkness blinds you,
Don't wait for day to restore your sight

You do not need to see things clearly,
For dreams are not beheld by the eyes,
That fire in your heart will be your guide
To find true love, wherever it lies

Dream of Eden before the gates closed
And two people sealed the fate of all;
Imagine the love that dwelt within!
(The secret still lies beyond that wall)

When the moon hides, don't curse the darkness,
Dare to steer your ship without a star;
Your dreams will guide you to love's fair shore,
Though the journey be tiresome and far

Take all your fantasies to the brink,
Let nothing inhibit your desires,
Stir the embers of your dying dreams,
Igniting all those forbidden fires

For dreaming is so much like praying -
Your heart cries out to some higher power
Begging for love you believe will come,
Though you know not the day nor the hour

And when your house of cards has fallen,
Don't let your heart sink into despair;
Remember, your dreams are what guide you,
So keep dreaming .... love will hear your prayer!

Time outstretched its callous fingers
And reclaimed my summer bouquet,
While Death's apprentice stands close by,
Waiting for his cue in this play

The hour has grown late -  so be it -
What matters one more reckless choice?
Though eyes grow dim, yet my ears strain
To hear Love's long-awaited voice

My door now opens to strangers,
(I'm not concerned with their intent)
A daring stance now pays my way,
The coins of youth having been spent

And what of love, that elusive dream
That taunts my heart mercilessly?
This consoling thought I proffer:
Keep faith, dear heart, it yet may be!

And perhaps on some moonlit night,
With his arms clasped tightly 'round me
My love and I will speak with joy
Of that winter night he found me

Watching tender blossoms open,
Though a frost lay thick on the bower,
How we'll  bless that borrowed sunshine
Love granted in our winter hour!

But should this never come to pass,
Who is there to blame for my plight?
Just a fool in her loneliness
Who dared to dream on a winter night

The sun rose, its duties to uphold
In its usual, most resplendent manner,
Spreading glorious rays of orange and gold -
Proud it rose, wildly waving its banner;
I was not stirred by this gaudy display,
For I find no joy since he went away

Listen to those songbirds in the tree,
You would think they'd find something better to do
Than to warble amidst such misery
On this Earth, overgrown with weeds and rue!
O, forgive my tone, so doleful and grim,
But I find no joy being without him

And why does the moon glow so brightly .....
Does it not know darkness helps me to forget?
Was ever a lantern so unsightly!
Throwing its rays without any regret;
Such indifference causes me agony,
For I find no joy since he's not with me

But life goes on as it did before,
And Earth will continue to orbit the sun,
And my heart will break just a little more
Finding myself alone when day is done -
Peace and hope no longer in my employ,
Being without his love I find no joy

Love, fly homeward to my heart once more,
Come wash away the memory of the day
You left me standing alone on Love's shore
While Sorrow's ebb tide swept my joy away;
Should Angels whisk me to their sacred lair,
I'll find no joy unless I find you there

Last night I had the strangest dream:
Love carried me to Heaven's door.
All the joys of Life magnified
As angels beckoned us inside,
Warning this was but a dream -- no more

What delights my senses beheld,
Elysian music filled the air!
Only Love could write such a score
And the heart understand its lore.
But the enchantment did not end there .....

A mystic fragrance made me swoon
As Love chanted its divine hymn;
Who could have guessed a dream could bring
The rapture of eternal Spring,
With each tree boasting a flowered limb!

Smiling angels reassured me
Heaven can be found here on Earth;
The golden key of Love's embrace
Permits entry to God's pure space.
Only there can be found Life's true worth

All's vanished now -- that sacred view,
The angels' smiles, that perfumed air;
Once more my life's burdened with grief,
I look to Heaven for relief ...
But only Love can take me there

This loving you does me no good,
Why won't Time help ease my pain?
In the late hours, memories gather 'round,
Smouldering ashes are stirred again

First an ember, and then a spark,
Soon the flames are leaping high,
Our symphony of love begins to play,
(I just can't let this music die)

Do you recall how we would hide
And love each other for hours?
That old shack by the lake would welcome us
With its fragrant jasmine bowers

Strange how the moon always found us,
He'd perch high above some tree,
Unfolding his rays of silver satin
He would cover us tenderly

Did you know how much I loved you?
Were my whispered vows too weak?
My heart and my soul are tormented now
By words I may have failed to speak

Nothing has changed since you left me,
I still love you, this I know,
(How can love that's been starved and abandoned
Still thrive and continue to grow?)

As darkness peers through my window,
I miss you more than I should,
It's taken me much too long to admit
This loving you does me no good

I could count the grains of sand on the shore,
Through a straw, I could drink the sea dry,
But never could I stop loving you,
If commanded, I could not comply

I could move a mountain that blocked your view,
I could rearrange stars in the sky,
But never could I stop loving you,
It would be foolish for me to try

I could change the song of the birds at dawn,
I could dance on the flames of the sun,
But never could I stop loving you,
Certain deeds simply cannot be done

I could walk on water to come to you,
I could do anything that you ask,
But never could I stop loving you,
That would be an impossible task!