I
The sky has never been this dark
nor the horizon decked in so much crimson
The wind has never been this restless
nor the cloud so thick with foreboding…
I hold my heart in my hand lest it falls;
I pick my steps carefully
through marshy ground
overlooking stone monuments
built by the greed of desperate men
who value tears and blood.
II
Noon wears no necklace of solace
only a tiara of discomfort
Noon adorns no smile of welcome
only a wicked grin
Noon carries no hope
only the tattered frown
of a murderous rage
Noon bears the face of a lion
thirsty for blood
Noon is a sea of tears
not ready to dry…
I guide my steps
out of the valley of crushed roses
I sight the Rock
and the field of open graves
I stand beside the tree,
waiting for night to fall.
III
Night:
It breeds no delight for a troubled heart
It brooks no joy for a land on the verge of mourning
Night is the Unspoken Dread
the vault of murderous secrets and deathly capers
the relish of the axe wielder and the masked gunman
the wound that would not heal
the ache that chooses to linger
Night is the greed of the Rock
the bellyache of the desert warrior
the figure that doubles, and redoubles
the magic that turns victor into vanquished
the fire that burns and burns and burns…
I gather the remains of my tortured heart
and pick my steps through crushed stones
I seek for light in the cobbled street
Ah! Dawn will be long!
IV
Dawn is an articulated vehicle without a driver
an egg that has overstayed its hatching
a timid throb of an uncertain heartbeat
the nagging warmth of a querulous fever
the blind rage of a volcano
Dawn is the cavernous mouth of an ambushing python
the words that collapsed at the bridge of a dialogue;
the light that refused to shine
the embers of a fire that died long ago
Dawn is the new tear in my over-stitched hope
the rusty nail in the boot I wear
the embarrassing fart of a baby that soon dies from diarrhea
Dawn is the fading of an anthem and a dying pledge
the wardrobe of scattered banners and tattered flags
the faith I lost again
and again
and again…
Dawn is the death I die,
the tears I shed
for the Rock…