Kingdoms of Stone

I slept not soundly that night

but in thin sheets of rain,

beside ethereal blue gates so surreal in their sway;

beyond them, I saw things that might

lure me into the fray.

In thickets that grew wild

I found formidable kingdoms of stone,

quiet pillars of carved ivory bone.

Wildflowers engulfed the ruins

in fields where the daylight fell cold.

Fog spilled forth from the coast,

summoned from the depths of grey,

with skies beguiled and full of rain;

Oceans of starlight cascaded down

as nightfall usurped the day.

Heavy was my heart to see the ship,

as lonesome and pale as the snow in its wake,

vanish from the sea upon daylight’s break.

We’ll meet in due time,

I heard the Captain say.

That night I laid in wait

for the dream which crept in and devoured,

the oblivion of celestial encounters;

within the realm beyond the blue gate,

I withered with each passing hour.