As rose begins to light the skies,
Dew'd petals wake from sleep,
As songs of thrush in air arise,
'Midst swallows' swoop and leap,

In that beauty, harsh and hard,
A canard's tail slithers,
A falsehood dressed in truth all marred,
A golden poppy withered,

And shadows grow from day to night,
Crushing love's embrace,
And darkness smothers beacons bright,
The light of Divine Face.

there's a noose around my neck
and it's getting tighter,
tick-tock ticktock pendulum
the old swinging blighter,
free at last from corporal shackle
spirit's so much lighter
free at last from crackle-hackle
the ol' cursed backbiter.

In the shadowed streets that sigh
Under burden of human cry,
From the troubled hearts that weep,
As secrets silent sleep.

There flows a river where flowers bloom
On banks of gold and verdant plume,
Where zaftig earth finds its voice,
In nature's sweet rejoice.

And as the dawn in crimson hue,
Breaks on world refreshed anew,
Sun of hope and prayer true
Sparkles silver yon pavements' dew.

In grey silence, time stands watch,
Sentinels from bygone era,
Granite tombs, stannite wombs,
Final cradles, carved by hands.

Resting places
Devoid of breath,
Lives in cases,
Embraced -- by death.

Dreams and hopes of yesteryears
In cold repose,
Excite and hate, love and fears,
In deep earth's hold.

Within, all light of memories dimmed,
The sun's soft rays a fleeting hymn,
All murmured love long since winged.

And o'er the grey of beasts unbent,
Echoes life's lament.
Bitter tears of empty years,
Cold stone that no-one hears.

In the forest, deep and ancient,
Where the whispering winds do wander,
Where the rivers, swift and silver,
Sing their song in seeping sorrow,
Stood the oak, of mighty ancients,
Still, its silence, strong 'n steadfast,
Gnarled roots deep in highland soil,
Mighty arms stretched wide to heavens,
Stretching arms of ancient sages,
In the war of wisdom waging,
Witness to the passing ages,
Solace to the aged bearing,
Tidings good to those who carry
Light to cleanse the dark and shadow,
As from east, the dawn approaches,
Dawning scarlet's silver glow,
Sure as leopard 'pon her prey,
Soft of foot upon the meadow,
Soft upon the Morning star,
Ishtar in her morn arrayed,
Shinning 'fore the four-horsed carriage,
Bids adieu to the darkness,
Adieu to deepest night,
With presage of hope and courage
Bows 'fore brightest, king of light.
Brightest dawn in fire resplendence,
Night surrenders to the day.

In the grey dawn, a crow's call,
Harsh, unbidden, as prophet's cry,
Foretelling unspoken shadows.

On the ancient oak, a sentinel,
Gnarled branches whispering past legends,
Roots clawing the shrouded future.

'Neath the ground, secrets stir
Through the wind's steady howling,
A presage of what's to come.

The smoky shadows prance and sway,
Voices rise, as incense in the air,
Minds fence, ideas clashing, debate sparking,
Every word a dagger's whispered mark
As disputatious souls dance through rhetoric
Seeking truth in dialectic duel.