Copyright © 1999 Ambo Lovely

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Past the Shadows

Past the shadows I can see dim light
Like fog lifting
But so far away
My eyes strain to focus
My feet stumble as they shuffle closer
All this time I think I am whole
Only to find me shattered
This light is my salvation
But so far away
Past the shadows
I can breathe now very lightly
And my head throbs
It seems it has come to this then
After all these endless climbs
My doubts are deafening
Here in the fog
But the light whispers
Past the shadows

The Battle

So sweet were his hypnotic glances
So kind and so thoughtlessly cruel
A master at offering glittering chances
And so many had lost at the duel

Her armour had steadily withered
Her heart soaring out of control
This serpent so charming had easily slithered
Past her steadfast and faithful patrol

What plan of attack could she fashion
What measure of force would suffice
How could she resist his uncompromised passion
As his gaze ever tightened the vice

With orchids to lower her defenses
With poems read deep in the night
He overwhelmed all of her unfulfilled senses
And blinded her reasoning sight

She fought to resist his advances
She struggled in silence alone
But destiny thwarted her minimal chances
As if all along it had known

With whispers of loves endless burning
With caresses of velvet he came
His touch resurrecting her thirst and her yearning
As their forms became one and the same

Now the raging inferno requited
Now the embers relinquished their glow
Like a verse which in secret is softly recited
As if only those closest may know

Entrances and Exits

The star had come to rest on an island
A speck in the vast green sea
High on the mountain a figure stood watching
Silhouetted against the stormy sky
Here in this relative obscurity
A pearl in the hand of the earth
A child stares wide-eyed
The light reflecting in perfect rectangles
An obstinate pout forms on his lips
The planet turns on its axis
Leaving years behind in its wake
The story unfolds in endless chapters
No beginning or end, only plot
You leave on a plane bound for nowhere
My heart packed in your carry-on
And no more for the answer provided
Than for the question once asked
We speak in screaming silences
Our eyes to the stars hoping for more
Seeking only sublime validation
I look to find in my upturned palm
Your treasure, placed here to protect
History repeats itself shamelessly
And I turn and walk away

Unnatural Disaster

The wind is the sound of loves echoing cry
Whipping furiously through the trembling trees
Taking the leaves in a yellow tornado
Up into the sky, grey and crowded with clouds
It is too chilly for fall, too warm for winter
The ragged stones bear mute witness
To the birth and death of the lingering weeds
The trees bare their branches in slow melancholy
Blanketing the earth with the decaying mass
By spring it will be gone, returned to the roots
The cycle endlessly linked to time itself
Measuring our days like so many lost hellos
Deep inside the earths crust fires burn
The molten existence of our planets core
The rivers carve gorges into the land
Endlessly winding their way to the sea
Here in a world fashioned by evolution
We ignore the relevance of nature's plan
Wielding the greatest power of all
The power to overturn her decisions
Rewriting the verdict with unrelenting apathy
Those that fly on wings of lightest design
The agile swimmers and runners
The makers of song and of nectar
Small and large, they fall at our hand
All manner of life is subject to our judgment
We are unimpressed by the ageless miracles
That have fashioned our very existence
Seeing the world around us as if through a veil
Knowing only our insatiable need for power
We take what is not ours to possess
Leaving only the empty shell of broken life
Like a sigh in the airless expanse of space

Oh Nothing

Perhaps our lives were meant to be
Masterpieces of mediocrity
And all the time we question why
Our collective voice an anguished cry
Is time much better spent on chores
On mending fences, washing floors
There's food to cook and bills to pay
A million things to fill each day
Why do we search for meaning when
That nasty squeak needs oil again
Just now we should remind ourselves
To sweep that porch and dust those shelves
Toiling to get that bed to flower
Is all that's meant to fill this hour
And when the sun sets in the west
We lay our bodies down to rest
And rise, a brand new day to greet
Oh there's that rug I meant to beat

Lullaby

Restless warrior come lay by me
Let me cradle your head in my lap
This battle has become too much for you
Let me lift it from your shoulder
Take a lesson from the midnight sky
The stars guard their secrets closely
So few are chosen for discovery
Your efforts have left you weary
Close your eyes and fall away
Lose yourself in my lullaby
I have only time and give it freely
You are my shining knight
My only star is named for you
My love is boundless
It will protect you
Let me speak softly of far off lands
Of princes and castles and dragons
Of priceless jewels for the taking
And unicorns in lush green pastures
Feel the clouds lift you to the heavens
Higher and higher above the earth
Peel away your crusty armor
The war outside will wait for you
Sleep now and dream
Let the beast rest awhile
He will not harm you
For I will be here until you wake

Soul Fury

The smell of decay permeates the air
As I survey the frozen images of time
The night has brought with it the cold
And the sense of form void of color
Out beyond the edge of my vision
Lurks the monster I must embrace
He taunts me in my state of weakness
Demanding payment for my crime
I have borrowed my last excuse
And still cannot explain my logic
I try to creep by unnoticed
But his talons rip my skin
Leaving behind the taste of blood
I stumble, losing my balance
Scramble feverishly to regain my footing
The demon is unimpressed
And turns now to face me
A visage of utter horror
His eyes the blackest of holes
From which no pity can be measured
My instinct is to run
But I remain motionless
Disabled by my sickness and my rage
My fear escapes in whimpers
Once I was innocent and strong
I looked into the sun with unshielded eyes
But I have stepped across the threshold
And there is no safety in return
I accept my fate without regret
It is the destiny I have chosen
Full well knowing the consequences
He will have no more mercy than I
And I will remain forever changed

Alone

I want the sky to crack open
And let its liquid loose in torrents
Till I wake to the sound at my window
I will throw the covers wide
And let the cool air harden my nipples
Lie and listen to the steady downpour
As the lightning paints my body white
I will think of you in your bed
An audience to the same symphony
And reach for you
Only to find the incessant rain

Daybreak

There are no windy fingers this morning
To fondle the waiting blades of grass
The stillness blankets the hillsides
Grey and cool like liquid smoke
My outstretched hand pierces the vacuum
Seeming unreal in the ghostly light
I turn, the horizon splits open
There is no orchestra to accompany this fiery opus
The audience is nature itself
Stretching to touch the sky
No longer a charcoal rendering
But a dizzying whirl of color and dance
Oh daylight, daily wonder
Touch your grateful earth once more

Seemingly Sane

Destiny and I have made a pact
I will deny his existence
And he will remain silent

Do not scoff
For I have entered the arena
Waiting for the cheers to come like a wave
Surely they will see my intentions
Such good intentions

Morning has come like a song
Both end and beginning
I beg for time
As I move forward, forward
Never glancing back
I am stitching my quilt
This is fine work for a mortal

What's that you say
That hump on my back
Right there
Are you sure
I cannot seem to see it from any angle

I ask for the impossible
Secretly hoping for the improbable

Spring, come without winter
Step on my disasters
Oh, for a savior
Free of charge

Higher Education

So if at dawn's new light you rise
And to my bedside creep
Be wary, I have much to learn
Do not disturb my sleep

By day my fingers fuss and tear
At frail and yellowed pages
The din of life distracts my mind
Disturbs, delights, enrages

But while the stars are wished upon
By foolish wide-eyed lovers
I'm wising up on lessons dreamed
Beneath my peaceful covers

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