The Cavern

The sun stings my faded eyes

On this burning morn

No refuge in sight

No breath to cull a cry

Dragging my broken bones

In a trail of dust behind me

Under the dispiriting watch

Of the soulless, blinding eye

Rising from the desert

An exiled peak stands forlorn

A vast fortress whose facade

Defies the will of all men

Crawling from the desert

An exiled man weeps forlorn

A frail vessel whose will

Has been defied by all men

In the shadow of a gnarled tree

At the foot of the peak, I collapse

And with one last remaining thought

I yearn for a grave in which to lie

Rising from the desert

An exiled peak stands forlorn

A vast fortress whose facade

Defies the will of all men

Crawling from the desert

An exiled man weeps forlorn

A frail vessel whose will

Has been defied by all men

Can be this be the end?

Is this all I have left?

To die at the foot of this towering peak?

As night's hold creeps forward

A brilliant light appears from a concealed hollow

I gather my strength and rise from the dust

For this strange light lures me forward

It calls my name

It draws me near

It calls me name

It draws me near

I cross the threshold into this new realm

And with every step the light becomes brighter

As exhaustion's clutch takes hold, I fall to the bank

Of a shimmering pool as clear as glass

Millions of brilliant lights dance and flicker from it's depths

And with a sigh I cup my hands and drink

As my body falls numb and the light begins to fade

I know that in this cavern I'll die

Bird of prey

What is your place

Down in the fields

Trespasser divine

No hunger atones

And still you must weep

Over the bones

And burn like the sun

Bearing the load

There's no peace

Not in the sky

Not in the sea

Down in the dirt

Is where it must be

Down in the earth

Is where it must be

Down in the dirt

Is where it must be

Down in the dirt

Bird of prey

Trespasser divine

How do you sleep

Or measure the time

Your hunger alone

Must burn like the sun

And still you must weep

For everyone

For everyone

I awake to the howling of wind

My breath like acrid smoke in this thin glacial air

Where have I gone?

I try to shake off the confusion

And when I rise to my feet

I look out...

How am I standing at the summit of this lonesome peak?

Where have I gone?

The night sky splits and from it's wound

Bleeds a spiraling aurora

As this spectacle draws closer

A figure appears

An ethereal woman whose long hair veils her face

She offers me her hand and tells me to not be afraid

I take it and she pulls me to her breast

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid" she says

As everything turns black