talismen
           align
               'neath onyx skies
                         lift
                           crystal *****
                                     filled with
                                                visions
    ­                                                   of
                                         magic,
                        malevolence
             musings
alchemy
               creates
                       golden chalices
                                                to hold
                                           the wine
                                 of illusion
                    sorcerers
             casting
spells
      pixies
             sprinkling
                               dust
                                       spiders spinning
                                  orbs
             whose gossamer
threads
                      capture tales
                                           of
             ­                                    kings
                       ­                                      castles
                   ­                            princesses ~
                                 wizard wands
                         meander
               across
the night sky's
                     wilderness
                              rearranging stars
                                               into patterns
                                                        ­   to be read
                                                as words ~
                            cryptic languages
                        wishing
                 insight
              into
mysteries
            opaque
         ­               clouded
                                      hidd­en
                                                    locked
   ­                                       within
                                  soldiers
                   and samurai
seek the key
                 while dragons
                                      breathe
                  ­                                   flames
                                                          ­ of  passion
                                                    ­     into
                                      the cauldron
                              that lights
                     the banks
of a river
              of dreams
                        cliffs rise
                                along the edge
                                     casting shadows
                            that plunge deep
                         to nightmares
                 hearts climb
and fall again
                   caught by
                                      the jagged edges
                                                           ­     of love
                                                  and bitter
                                    melancholy
           ­              climb and fall
                  again
bewitched,
                beguiled
                         becharmed
                                        by incantations
                                     to
                   the moon
goddess