Fading Dreams...

I huddle in a corner,
Knees against my chin,
Locking arms around each shoulder with a mind in spin,
Under lowered eyelids
Rolling in their cage
Pools of whirling muddy water foam in mindless rage,
Mid of screaming thunder
Wild dreams ride a boat,
Gaping holes yawn toothless laughter through a hull in rot,
Dirty sails in tatters
Clutch a broken mast,
Idly riding crest and valley, prey to Chronos’ blast...

Who's that scrawny sailor
Stumbling on the deck,
Stinking, yellow oil lamp hanging from his wizened neck,
Salt encrusted fingers,
Dirty fingernails,
Pulling up his weary muscles long the biting rails,
Haggard eyes on fire
Inside hollow cracks,
Gripping low the hefty handle of a dulling ax,
Nears a darkened galley,
Nears a wooden door,
Lifts his muscle and the padlock splinters with a roar...

      #

Wide the valley proudly flowing down from mountain misty peaks,
Flows a herd of snow white stallions long the shallow turbid creeks,
Free of bridle, free of saddle, ironless the glinting hooves,
Neighs the tidal wave its tantrum as its fury onward moves,
Chasing like a mindless torrent one black giant mare ahead,
On its neck - the naked vision miles ago its cloth has shed,
Flying hair like yellow ribbons whips the dust cloud in its wake,
Shrieking laughter splits the mountain rippling through its rock and lake,
Rides the fairy to her lover, tiny hands like steely springs
Holding to a mane in flurry like a wilderness of wings,
Rides the fairy to her lover, dowry bringing thousand heads
Stolen from her father's stables' fire hearted thoroughbreds...

There's a tower down there sunward, one more half of riding day,
One red banner beacons wildly like a serpent lost of way,
Wild the gallop, wild the fever in her bouncing naked breasts,
'Cause she knows to win the kingdom, this is tenth and last of quests,
And her handsome fiery lover, prince of west to endless north,
By tomorrow in his palace she’s the bride to be henceforth,
In his arms the pains of warring she forget will till days old,
In his bed amid the cushions she will lose her lace and gold,
And while pouring sweat on fire they will mount the skyward gate
Hugging death through wild desire, chasing lovers’ only fate,
And tomorrows many thousands they will rule this blessed land,
Side by side, with love and justice, eye in eye, and hand in hand...

There's the gate, banners presenting in majestic proud salute,
On she rides, on... then of sudden... like a shrieking wailing flute...
What's this noise, what is this rumble, what's this sudden salty spray?
What's this sudden gaping darkness cutting right across her way?
Where's the tower, where's the castle, where's the lover's greeting face?
Who's that faceless wizened figure sad of eye and bare of grace?...
Wispy fingers back she stretches to a fading dying light
As her mare the clouds is nearing merging boldly with the night,
And her gaze with pain is watching as her world is getting slain,
Like a dying smoke the stallions dissipate through drizzle rain,
Fades the thunder, fades the wonder, fades unborn the pleading scream,
And in thousand fading fragments whiffs away the fading dream...

      #

Up he looks a resting moment to a patch of white-blue cloud,
Ten man deep the pit above him, one man wide the rocky shroud,
Fifteen knots the rope is hanging, fifteen more it has to bear,
Boiling sweat his brow is pouring on the wounds his fingers wear,
Picks the elf the flint-ax handle in a rock hard muscled hand,
For a passing moment halting, hearing to his heart’s command,
Then defiantly his laughter echoes wild in the confine,
Bites through half a giant bread loaf, gulps a mouthful blood red wine
As he strikes the rocky bottom with a power born of will,
Quakes the rock as razor pebbles in a shower round him spill
As he strikes the rocky bottom dries his mouth with blinding crave
For the spring's cool, magic waters flowing down to stony grave...

Nineteen knots... he pulls the rubble up the pit's dust laden shaft,
Twenty three... the rope is cutting through his body front and aft,
He can smell the draft invading thick of dank and whirling steam,
Very soon his head be sunken in the shallow golden stream...
Just one drop, and elf to human would have changed inside one moon,
By his bride, the gentle maiden, he would stand... a mortal groom,
His divine ancestral powers to be slain by woman’s kiss,
And his life be cut forever... mortal size... and mortal bliss...
On a bed of autumn petals their agony will flare
When a breast as white as summer in abandon and despair
Crushed will be against the muscle in a chest of hardest stock...
Almost there... a fist he smashes through the last of crumbling rock...

There's the sparkle, softly water gushes forth at length of hand,
Fingers reach... then of a sudden... like a world forever banned...
What's this noise, what is this rumble, what's this sudden salty spray?
What's this sudden gaping darkness cutting right across his way?
Where's the spring, where is the water, where's the mortal's sweet embrace?
Who's that faceless wizened figure sad of eye and bare of grace?...
Angry fingers back he stretches to a fading dying sight
As his body clouds encroaches merging boldly with the night
And his gaze with pain is watching as his world is getting slain,
Like a dying smoke the mountains dissipate through drizzle rain,
Fades the thirst, and fades the wonder, fades unborn the pleading scream,
And in thousand fading fragments whiffs away the fading dream...

      #

Plains of bluebells by the thousands gently swaying in the breeze,
Lakes of snowdrops shyly staring down at grains embraced by freeze,
Crocus oceans wildly waving against shores of iris gems,
Bare of foot a smiling maiden weaves a crown of tender stems,
By her side a youth is lying drowned in bed of rustling leaves,
Rainbow bugs rush in the shadow of his open dangling sleeves,
Bends the maiden, swapping sun ray with the flash of laughing eyes
Endless hair strands tickling lightly lip and nose, oh, most unwise,
As the youth of sudden sneezes and he grabs her by the waist
With a lover's gentle fury bites those lips, hot cherry laced,
And when stardust sun is chasing to its lair way westward down,
Lays the maiden on his dark brow the majestic flowers crown...

One more sunset, one more sunrise, at the cock's proud raising cry,
In the white of shiny satin speckled thin with blue of sky,
Young a maiden she will offer all of soul, of heart, her hand,
To a youth that passion's fire with her tender smile will blend,
One more night spell, one more day charm, one more breathless stretching wait,
Face to face, shoulder to shoulder, painting thoughts on whispers plate,
Drinking words no sense, no meaning, lightly flying lip to ear,
Seeing morrows wrapped in silver through the spark of lover's tear,
Wading back through parting rainbows, greeting birds in tuneless songs,
Thickly laid across the meadow flutter butterflies in throngs,
Far out back the crushed impression of embrace adorns the field,
Heart in heart the ever after two proud souls will learn to wield...

There's the day, the cheer and laughter, boy and girl with eyes ablaze
Hands they join... then of sudden... like an icy stabbing haze...
What's this noise, what is this rumble, what's this sudden salty spray?
What's this sudden gaping darkness cutting right across the way?
Where's the crowd, where is the music, where's the lover's sunny face?
Who's that faceless wizened figure sad of eye and bare of grace?...
Trembling fingers out are stretching to a fading dying might
As their hands apart are tearing merging boldly with the night
Their gaze with pain is watching their world is getting slain,
Like a dying smoke the lovers dissipate through drizzle rain,
Fades the magic, fades the wonder, fades unborn the pleading scream,
And in thousand fading fragments whiffs away the fading dream...

      #

I huddle in a corner,
Knees against my chin,
Locking arms around each shoulder with a mind in spin,
Under lowered eyelids
Rolling in their cage
Pools of whirling muddy water foam in mindless rage,
Mid of screaming thunder
Wild dreams ride a boat,
Gaping holes yawn toothless laughter through a hull in rot,
Dirty sails in tatters
Clutch a broken mast,
Idly riding crest and valley, prey to Chronos’ blast...

Huddled in a corner,
Knees against my chin,
In my lap lie arms forgotten, limp with shivers thin,
Under lowered eyelids
Frozen in their cage
Pools of stale and shallow water die of endless age,
Gone the screaming thunder,
Gone the dreams and boat,
Gushes death through gaping scuppers, hull and anchor bloat,
Dirty sails in tatters
Tear away from mast,
Dreams majestic, gallant, noble, die with morning’s blast...