As they swirled above the clouds
Twisting in and out of existence
Heart fluttered, such as the wings of
Butterflies in my belly

The girl in the tree
Witnessed not what I did
As she called out my name
Voice of reason, guide me

Look, up here!

And the ladder I climbed to sanctuary
Was of oak and sap
Sticky with unknowing
And her hand touched mine
But her face was unseen

The dragons
Above, with jade scale and ivory claw
Swirled in the dance of
My eternal struggle
For knowledge

Enraptured
Captured, but not owned
Are these visions

The clouds darkened as my hand slipped
And I fell backwards
Seeing her dark hair
But her face was
Not there

And the wind picked up the new rain
Fresh, like the blood of dragons
In an epic twist of death
And poured it into my eyes

And though I slept soundly
Silence was always there