The Sleeper

Like a majestic winged seraph, arisen from the forgotten fog of a dream,
her endless strength and her glory, have became my life's theme

She sang with the summer's sun, her voice a cool breeze,
her music soothed my parched soul, warmed my heart's long freeze

She came out of the past, or the future, no one would dare say,
it was into the abyss of my perfect desolation, that she appeared one day

Her eyes alight with her heavenly fire, the sweet promise of her lips,
a promise never to be mine, I feel myself falling, my mind starting to slip

As she faded into the smoke and cloud, from whence she had come,
never would I taste the notes of her melody, my life became undone

Only in my dreams will I breathe her, only in the safe solace of my sleep,
she was one of God's chosen, and she had other promises to keep

So I curse the blinding sunlight, and I mourn the empty lie people call day,
I embrace only the darkness, its warmth and protection, became my new way

I despise the golden demon, I pray for its master, the moon and blessed night,
for there my loves waiting, in the silence, in the total absence of light

I know the sun is burning with jealousy, for she outshines its searing rays,
it rages each and every morning, in anger screaming "Only I, the sun, will rule the day."

There are other souls to save, and my winged guardian, she must be on her way,
it isn't right to try and hold her, she has wings to fly, not wings so she can stay

Hold no sorrow for me, as I can never lose what was never mine to hold,
how can I suffer the misery, the pain of a story, of a tale left untold

I danced with one of God's angels, I was foolish, I drank of her embrace,
men don't belong with such beauty, I was reckless, forgot my earthly place

I am the sleeper now, like the moon's light, never will I allow myself to wake,
I live only in my endless slumber, this is a promise, a promise that I must never break

Never again will I hold her, not while the yellow tyrant holds dominion over day,
but in my dreams we always are dancing, dancing to music I know will never play

And I the sleeper, I sleep my unspoken dream, it's foolish, but I know no other way,
I dream to be able to dream in the sunlight, just once, to dream in the light of day

~ Richard X. Wittek Jr.
rwittek@home.com