Dream II
of
The Voyage of Kings
The Sword
( Path )
The Prelude, The Calling, and The Nearing . . .
The OverLook
as I wander among these brilliant Swords of Truth, bathed
in The Reflection of Their Might, I pause for a Moment, on
This Blade of Honor, pointed Now toward a pale blue Gem,
in a dark velvet Sky, as I am to witness and I am to wonder,
because, the Night, has said, “ goodbye ” . . .
and The Prelude
Ouroboros
( The Blackest, of Wholes )
horrific . . . and standing there, stark among The Galaxies, as each heaving Breath He takes, draws billions upon billions of Stars into the swirling Chasm, of Oblivion . . . His Form, an immense Nebulae of what might have been, lit from within, by the serpentine Fires of an unnamed Hell, emitting vile and virulent Clouds of unrelenting Rage upon The Silence of untold Æons . . .
a vast and terrible Beauty, a Colossus, made living by the sheer enormity of Evil, and Its dogs He has lain loose upon The Hearts of Men, for Ever kept rabid, and ravenous, by the merciless Hunger of an old, deep and insatiable Darkness . . .
where Angels are doomed to walk Eternity in the final Abyss of Fear, and where The Echoes of Empires have gone to die, along with Their Suns, along with Their Sorrows, unsung, and unforgiven, and unremembered . . .
a ruined Aberration of God, whose Purpose is nothing less than the complete and utter annihilation of The Very Light of All Creation, and therefore, alas, and oh yes, The Very Essence, of All Things Dear . . .
( Chaos, waits )
* * *
and on this Day, there was to come a Sound, soft and slow, yet with a defiant Rhythm, a rising, rolling, and riveting avalanche of Thunder, wrapped in the glorious Cadence of a Righteous Intent, pounding the Earth for All We are Worth, and bearing an Allegiance called The Might . . . comes forth The Seven Hundred . . . Ebony Left, and Ivory, Right . . .
The Whisper
( of Horses )
We are The Sand, flowing through The OurGlass, The Moment before Midnight’s Bell . . . We are The Spirit of The Redwood Monolith, The Wishes, long buried in Your Well . . .
We are The Light, from A Distant Star, The Hunters, of Shadows on The Moon . . . We are The Fragrance of The Rose, and The Silence, between Cries of The Loon . . .
We have danced for Ages with Daughters of Atlantis, caressed The Heart of Time, at Birth . . . We have flown The Heavens on The Fires of Ice, lifted Mountains, from The Core of Earth . . .
We have sailed endless Waters of Tomorrow, seen The Suns of Skies Beyond die Away . . . We have heard of Your deepest Sorrow, sung The Songs, only The Wind could play . . .
We will blow Our Trumpets, with a Breath of Angels, calm The Rage of Screams in Hell . . . We will wed The Dyad of Hope and Fulfillment, and build Their Home where Freedoms dwell . . .
We will dry The Tears of Broken Children, awaken a World from the Cradle of Night, We will fly The Doves of Love, Again, and lay open The Gates, to The Reign, of Light . . .
The First DoveTale
The Fires of Ice
as The Echo of The Reason Why, begins to gather about Itself a Fire more radiant than The Core of The Sun, and All of The Places and The Spaces in This Universe, begin to hum for All They are worth, a lone Soldier of Virtue, without Name or Number, stands with pure and infinite Grace upon The Deck of His mighty Ship of Light . . .
and behind Him, stretching as Far Away as The IcanSea, are Wave upon Wave of His glorious Allegiance, arrayed like The Jewels of an Empire across The Sky, and Ever standing as Always, to face the uncountable Armies, of The Oblivion . . .
The Calling
( of Angels )
I, am a Child of Time, and a Servant of Fate, and I speak from a Place within The Hearts of All Men . . . yet, I remember . . .
I remember a Time, and a Place, beyond The Sky of My Mind . . . One, that is more Distant than a Sea of Dreams, and far Deeper, than The Well of My Tears . . .
I will tell The Story, that of Truth, born from a Sense of extreme Longing, and an intense Desire to understand All that Was, All that Is, and All that Will Be, of This Earth, and Its Place, and Its Purpose within This Universe, as well as to define, My Own . . .
I stand before Your Eyes, with Pen as My Sword, in My Right Hand, and The Key to Your Imagination, and Your Soul, in My Left . . .
and so, My Story, begins . . .
The Calling
There, in The Path, of Eagles
( I walk )
. . . with a Feeling, more, perhaps, a Knowing, that Something was amiss . . . I, and Others, felt the Undulation, a chaotic Vibrancy, a Discordance, almost as if The Fabric of The Universe were somehow flawed, yet without The Benefit of Circumstance, and outside The Realm of Wonder . . . there were also Times, when One could almost touch Its pervasiveness . . .
how, could This, be ? . . . no matter which Corner of The Empire My Endeavors brought Me, none were spared this Undercurrent . . . The Eyes of Heaven were indeed wary . . . no Countenance could successfully hide Its concern . . . no Heart was immune . . .
on Occasion, I would encounter Travelers, solitary Messengers and the Like, and Some, without Name, or Number . . . I dared not ponder this Peculiarity for too long, for Their Existence prompted more Questions than I, or They, cared to discuss with any ardency . . . the only outward Indication of The Nature of Their Journeys, or Their Purpose, was illustrated in the Shadow of Dread, in The Windows of Their Eyes . . .
when asked to recount Details of Their Voyage, for Tales of The Outer Reaches of The Empire were Always of great Interest, Their Voices, too, would betray Them . . . any Specifics regarding certain Areas of The Frontier were masked by a lighthearted Banter, yet I felt it never fully disguised The Magnitude of Their Discomfort . . . a Few evaded the Subject altogether . . .
there were, at Times, an obvious Sense of Relief when, at Last, I would not harry Them further, allowing Them to continue on Their Way, leaving Me to digest what little Information They could, or would, impart . . . it seemed the more Knowledge I sought, the darker the Shadow became . . .
and, as They each would drift away, toward Their appointed Duties, I would sit alone, under many a Starfield, alone, save for My Thoughts . . . Uncertainty would soon engulf All My Attempts to preserve a lucid Frame of Mind . . . still, My Heart cried for Reason, to take hold . . .
the vast Ocean of Suns lay before My Eyes, cast, like Diamonds, on Its exquisite Bed of Velvet, across The Eternal Sky . . . All Its Splendor, All Its Precision, All Its Grace, could not keep My Trepidation at bay . . . what was this Shadow that threatened this Peace, this Empire of Love ? . . . what Form did it manifest ? . . . what was Its Aim ? . . . to what End did it dare bring to pass ?. . .
and The Question that shook The Foundation of All that I am, and All I am to become, is what of The Heart of The Supreme ? . . . for This Question permeated the Maelstrom of My Thoughts far deeper than All Others, and raised even more The Edge of My Turmoil . . . could this Discordance be an integral Component in Her Grand Design ? . . . what could the disruption of Pure Harmony serve ? . . . what Direction could this Refraction of Light point to ? . . . and how deeply could this Blade of Chaos, cut into The Heart of Her Dominion ? . . .
All this, and I know not a single Trace of Understanding . . . yet My undying Allegiance to Her Grace burns bright within My Heart . . . I must search for The Answers . . . I must find The Strength of Will to liberate The Heavens of this Darkfall, and discover The Path to Love, Again . . .
still, in The Glory of Perfection that is this Universe, and All that is Paradise, Ever, The Balance, is kept . . . and I must answer The Echo that rings within every Facet of My Being, for It is The Bell of Always, ringing in My Heart, ringing in My Thoughts, ringing through to The Shores of The Kingdom of Angels, and calling Me, Home . . .
and of this, I am sure, I will walk All The Days of Infinity to dry just One Tear from Her Face, to look into The Eyes of Grace, to know, Her Reason, Why . . .
The Second DoveTale
The Sea of Glass
so vast in Its Depth, and infinite in Its Breadth, The Mirror Image of this singular and extraordinary Portrayal, floats in limitless Clarity within a most brilliant Regard, sumwhere, in The Sparkle, of God’s adoring Eye . . .
and in a Garden, of an Eden, a MockingBird quietly watches, and waits, with suspended Breath, while four dark Horsemen find Themselves standing naked and alone, upon a most uncommon Ground, and surrounded, by The Sum of All Their Fears . . .
and off in The Distance, to herald The Return of The Ring of Truth, The Bells of Freedom slowly come alive, deep in the long-silent WatchTowers, along The Shores, of Her Paradise . . .
The Calling
In Horizon’s Wake
( I see )
from deep within The Heart of Eternity, flows a River of Light . . . and this Light, is The Sum of All Knowledge, for The Sum of All that is Known, will never exceed The Sum, of All there is to Learn . . . this Light, is The Path, of All Things Dear, and The Beacon, from The Shores of Paradise . . . this Light, is The Light of The Millennia, for It was cast from The Distant Fires of Creation . . . this Light, roams The Seas of Infinity, and now, this Light, is The Path, of My Desire . . .
so, with Sails unfurled, I set out for The Cyan Skies of Eden, awaiting Somewhere at The End of this Beginning, Somewhere along this River of Grace . . . My Ship is borne on The Currents of Destiny, upon which My Dreams will live, for Ever, as I navigate The Oceans of Promise and Fulfillment, to find The Source of All Passion, and The Ring, of Truth . . .
a Myriad of Galaxies illuminate My Course on this, the endless Sea of Wonder . . . as I stand, bound by Honor, on The Deck of My Ship of Light, I have only My Dreams as Companions, and The Wishes of Hope, to guide My Journey through Infinity’s Web, of Pearls . . .
All that My Eyes survey, is Beauty of unimagined proportion . . . the immense Cathedral of Heaven rises limitless, beyond The Boundaries of Thought, and each Star, is a confirmation of the extraordinary Gifts that flourish within Her Tapestry of Grace, and each Star, is a Herald, of a Place, called Home . . .
it is by The Light of these Stars I will find My Way, for They are The Islands of Affirmation, each an Oasis of Faith . . . as I sail toward The Center of All, Their Radiance caresses and comforts Me, and like the Petals of a Flower, draws Me Ever closer to The Joy within . . . each delicate Spiral becomes an Arabesque of hypnotic Enchantment . . .
as The Solar Winds embrace My gossamer’d Sails, and gently impel Me Onward, I begin to understand The Magnitude of The Task that awaits Me . . . while I have yet to fathom what lies at The End of My Journey, I begin to sense that if My Purpose is to secure, once and for All, The Absolute Sovereignty of The Heart of this Empire, and to restore The Majesty of The Power of Love, then I, as a Soldier of The Virtues of The Universe, shall surrender My last dying Breath, to that noble Endeavor . . .
and as long as this Shroud of Darkness threatens to disrupt The Sanctity of Order within Her Dominion, I shall resist those forces for as long as Eternity allows, and until the last Moments of My Existence, fade into Memory . . .
The Third DoveTale
The Rail of Sighs
a SandPiper walks, along The Shores of His Longing, searching everyWhere, for The Line once drawn, someWhere, between The Sand, and The Foam . . .
and upon His ceaseless Watch appears The Face of Time, to remind Him, that Soon the very Last ThunderBird will Ever find Its Way beyond The Reach of Kings, and that The Laughter of Children, will finally bless the rising Tides of Compassion . . .
and Far on The Horizon, riding high The Waves of Her Abundance, come The Dolphins, Each with Their Eyes upon The Prize, and Each, pulling on a golden Reign, of Our Guiding Light . . .
The Calling
of A Promise, to Keep
( I know )
as I draw nearer to Destiny’s Realm, and The Galaxies pass, as Tempests, above My Sails, The Strength of My Resolve grows with The Might of My Conviction . . . I begin to mark My Progression, both of Awareness and Proximity, by the faintest, yet however tangible increase in Illumination, within The Sea around Me . . .
no longer do I perceive a vividness in the Nocturnal Sky, more an exchange of Clarity, an incremental graduation of Ideal, a shifting of Knowledge beginning to envelope both My Vessel, and My Mind . . . perhaps, I sense The Dawn, of Awakening . . .
as The Radiance blossoms around Me, so too, does My Ability to comprehend, or at least, ignite a Spark of Understanding, however small, as to My Purpose, and My Path . . . My only Wish is that I come to know All that I must before reaching My Destination, and I become proficient in each Aspect required of Me, in order to best serve The Empire, and The Desires of Her Grace, during this period of Turmoil . . .
Waves of Reality begin to swell in this Tide of Perception, and a Foreboding cloaks My Heart anew . . . it grows from deep within a Chasm of Fear that lies just Outside, at The Edge, of Serenity . . . it waits, mocking Patience, for one moment of Hesitancy in The Eye of Vigilance, for one last Chance to violate The Sanctuary of Grace . . . it is an All-encompassing Threat that permeates every Facet of Well Being, eager to gain a FootHold, upon which It will build the Monument, Antithesis, to honor All that lies within the Name, and the Realm, of Chaos . . .
for it is the Sword of this Chaos, the Night’s Path, an ebony Blade of a Thousand Sorrows, poised to strike, and deeply at The Heart, of All Things Dear . . .
and Now, as The Light of Dawn slowly paints My Sails in the glorious Colors of Sunrise, I understand My Purpose is to defend this Heart of All Things Precious, this Heart of Mine, this Heart of Always that, long Ago, I promised to serve, as a Soldier of Her Empire of Virtue, to preserve The Unity of Friendship, and to uphold The Laws, of Universal Order . . .
indeed, The Rock upon which The Universe rests, is that of Order, and The Sea that flows around this Order, shaping It, defining It, and transforming It, is Love . . . and to understand the everChanging and everConstant Qualities of This Love, One must first wander The Distant Shores of Faith, for Faith is The First Lesson, of The Covenant, between Promise, and Fulfillment . . .
and, when All The Lessons are learned, One will come to know of The First and Last Obligation, that the Fulfillment of a Promise is The Defining Moment of Truth within One’s Heart, for only then, may One Ever wear The Robes, of Honor . . .
perhaps, One Day, I might travel beyond The Bridge of Time, in the Service of Her Majesty, and experience firsthand The Intimacy of this Faith, and follow The Paths of Hope in search of The Thread of God’s Heart, and dance to The Voices of Angels, as I surrender, to The EverLasting Joy, of Love’s Embrace . . .
The Fourth DoveTale
The Web of Pearls
each and every precious Particle of the Earth, that was Ever cast into Space by a Touch from The Wing of a lone white Dove, circling for an Eternity, would not be Time enough, to wear away The Dust of Empires come, and gone, nor to unbury All of The Deeds, and All of The Seeds, sown by The Follies of Men . . .
and for this impossible Reason, and in this impossible Dream, a solitary Soul pulls upon The Oars of a small wooden Vessel, rowing East across The Sky . . .
and as The Stars above and below Him quietly ponder His Intent, They gaze in Wonder at The Sight, of a World being brought back to God, by a single, silver Thread, of His Heart . . .
The Calling
The Image, in Wisdom’s Eyes
( I am )
there, at long Last, in the Distance, is The Corona of Light I have sailed The Millennia to see, and I let fall My Tears, for I have been too long Away, and I have wandered too far from The Mists of Avalon, too far, from The Shores of Paradise, too far, across the Nocturnal Sea, too far, from Home . . .
this Light, piercing the Darkness, moving as Liquid Fire through The Paths of Eternity, is Divine Light, born of Heaven, and of Grace, The Light of God’s Heart . . . as I lift My Eyes to this Light, much brighter It becomes, for as The Radiance grows, so too, grows The Truth, for it is The Truth that lights All It shines upon . . .
My Heart surges with joyous Anticipation, and My Eyes can scarcely encompass The Magnitude of The Beauty before Me, and still, I cannot see The Cyan Skies of Eden, for They are but a shimmering Crescent on The Horizon, and The Jewel of The Universe, The Treasure of All Creation, The Heart of The Diamond, basks under The Light, of Their Glory . . .
alas, My Journey is further yet, for the Dimensions of My Awareness are far wider, than the Range of My Understanding . . . I have the Rivers of Enlightenment I must navigate further On, in the Web of Channels that surround the Islands of ForeThought, and the perilous Shoals that lie in the Undercurrents, beneath the Straits of Insight . . . I must keep The Eyes of Patience vigilant, and The Courage of Fortitude standing, everPresent, on My Decks to guide Me, if I am to touch The Hand of Always, Again . . .
as Mariners of Old, I hear the mythical Siren’s Song echoing inside My Heart, calling Me still, from deep within the White Canyons of Stars that lie unseen beyond Eternity’s Edge . . . calling Me still, to test the Chains of Honor that bind My Soul to an Ancient Promise . . . calling Me still, to My Fate, cast so long Ago, upon The Endless Waters, of Tomorrow . . . calling Me still, to The Remains of The Day, when The Dreams of Children begin Their Twilight Voyage into The Loving Arms of Hope, to be carried Away to The Heavens, where I fly, now, on The Wings of those Dreams, on My Way, Home . . .
and yes, blessed are those Children, whose Dreams, and Prayers, and Wishes, ride these Stars, becoming The Tears of Faith, in The Eyes of Forgiveness . . . for Their Tears, are those that fill The Well of My Longing, and Their Tears, I will gather, to drown, for Always, the Fires of Chaos . . .
The Fifth DoveTale
The Pillar of Truth
on an Island, someWhere in a southern Sea, cloaked within the Shadow of a massive, crimson-hued Monolith as old as Time, and Rhyme, and Eternity Itself, where ancient Voices echo of Deis long departed, and yes, so Soon to return Again, a Myriad of Angels, ten thousand strong, and Each holding a Candle of Their undying Faith, gather to welcome The Light of The Son . . .
and far across The Universe, at the very same Moment, a Child, bearing the Scars of His Abandon deeply etched upon His Heart, and holding a single Flame, whose soft Light the Darkness has Always feared the most, steps Forward, into The Arms, of Because . . .
The Calling
And So It Shall Be
( The One )
in the quiet Moments before a Wink in The Eye of Remember, I behold the grandest Vistas of stellar Choreography known, a spectral Ballet of vivid Wonder, a Myriad of Galaxies, dancing across The Heavens around Me . . . every Point in The Sky, above and below My Ship, bursts forth with The Radiance of Grace . . . this Pantheon of Grandeur defies all attempts at Comparison, for there exists no Place in The Universe capable of this Splendor, and I bow My Head in The Presence, of this Majesty . . .
for this, is Living Light . . . this, is The Paragon of Beauty, of a visual Joy found only in The Dreams of Angels . . . this, is both the BirthPlace, and Sanctuary, of Color, of Shades more abundant than The Stars, more than My Eyes could Ever gaze upon, in a Lifetime . . . My Sails are ablaze with the Aurora of Ten Thousand Dawns, and I tremble in awe at The Sight unfolding before Me, for I have journeyed across The Millennial Sea to stand, at long Last, within this Glory of Grace, of God, The Creator, of All Things Dear, and All My Eyes survey . . .
if My Prayers are answered, and The Ring within My Heart is indeed a Calling, and All I have foreseen has come to Pass, will I ever be chosen ? . . . will I be asked to serve ? . . . am I worthy of this noble Task ? . . . I know, beyond All Doubt, that I am to be counted on, for I am, what Courage is, and I am, what Honor will be . . . and the Intensity of My Will, the Iron of My Fortitude, and the Constancy of My Patience, is Assurance enough, for Always . . .
and yet, I feel there will be no Questions asked, nor any Qualifications considered, or Effectiveness deliberated . . . it will not be a Matter of Loyalty, or Resolve, or Integrity, or Faith, for these Things are foregone Judgments . . . Where and How Long are also moot . . . no Distance, Time, or Circumstance is relevant to My Desire to fulfill My Promise, and to secure The Sanctity of Love . . . and The Emergence of Truth from the Throes of Chaos is an Endeavor I shall cherish, until I am but a Smile, in The Memory, of Yesterday . . .
I am drifting, with The Speed of Stars, Ever closer to Home, and My Mind continues to fathom The Magnitude of Perfection arrayed on All Horizons . . . every Step, of every Mile My Path has taken Me through The Voyage of My Life, never quite prepared Me for such stunning Ecstasy . . . this Symphony of Her Divine Brilliance heralds The Gifts of Knowledge and of Reason, that ly waiting patiently, within The Facets, of this Jewel of Eternity . . .
magnificent Arcs of Light, arranged in successive Orders of The Spectrum form a seemingly endless Colonnade, through which I, and My Ship, pass with The Grace of Swans . . . this Zenith of Luminescence gives way to Cascades of Rainbows, whose resplendent textures summon a River of Tears to My Eyes, for I am a most fortunate Being, to have been called to witness these Fires of Passion, and on this, My SkyPath to Infinity . . .
now, All My Senses are transformed . . . to touch, is to know, to smell, is to understand, to hear, is to see, and to see, is to embrace Truth . . . the Air of Heaven vibrates through Me, whispering, of The Joys of Love, and I soon discover, there drifts yet another Essence on The Wind, as sensuous as The Breath of Angels, Her Children of The Clouds, for It is The Light of Sound, and The Sound of Light, pouring over The Splendor arrayed before Me . . . I am wrapped in The Music of Her Being, for I have ascended into The Spectrum of Harmonics, where Light and Sound, Eye and Ear, are One . . .
and as My Heart and My Soul, surrender to Her Embrace, I pass through The Ivory Portals of Awakening, ancient Sentinels of All Creation, under whose gaze All shall Pass, for They stand, for Ever, as The Gates of Dawn . . . and ’Lo, in the Distance, on The Shores of Her Paradise, I see The Palace of Rain, and to mark My Passage, ten thousand Butterflies rise up from The Sea, and envelop Me in The Whisper of Their Wings, for I, have come to The End of The Beginning, of The Voyage of Kings . . .
The Sixth DoveTale
The Cradle of Light
in The Hue, and The Cry, of All The Deis gone by, and among All The Memories We will Ever try to forget, What Will Be, begins to dance with Remember, and So It Was speaks in Whispers, to Well Be Met . . .
and still, The Mighty Ships keep on coming, to cast the Night, to Once and for All, and NeverMore, yes still, The Mighty Ships, keep on coming, to cast Her Light, for One and All, upon Our Shore . . .
and ’Lo, and Behold, begin to watch this Story unFold, of The Way Things will be, once Again, while Tomorrow stands by, just as Hope begins to cry, because Our FullFillMeant, had kissed His Heart, in front of When . . .
The Nearing
( of Angels )
All at Once, from far Away in the Mists of My Memory, drifting up from The Well of Remembrance, into My Living Dream, comes The Reason Why . . . and There, through The Window of My Vision, as I walk mesmerized toward The Majesty of The Splendors of The Palace of Rain, overwhelmed by All before Me, I find Myself surrounded by All that I hold Dear, and in The Time of a Promise, My Eyes begin to shimmer, in Waves, of terrible Longing . . .
and so begins The Trail, of Tears . . .
The Nearing
Along The WatchTowers
( The Approach )
I walk, alone, along The Shore . . . the Roar of Waves becoming Thunder on The Sand . . . My Ship, the dauntless EverMore, lying quiet against the Swells just beyond The Reach . . . The Sky, a vivid Cyan Blue, unfolds a brilliant Array of Suns, a Necklace of Light above My Path . . . it is at this Moment I know, that I have arrived in a Perfect Time, and in a Perfect Place, for The Sands beneath My Feet, washed for Ever, by The Tides of Eternity, are Diamonds . . .
I am alone, save for recent Passage of Another, and by The Distance from The Palace, and the slender Imprints left upon The Path, I judge Their Maker to be One of deep Reflection, and of The Feminine Graces . . . I also sense this to be a Trail of Tears, time-worn by Sorrow and Loneliness, and this Thought, dislodges any Notions of Perfection, from My Feelings of Serenity . . .
here Again, the Discordance precedes Me, in this Garden of Pure Harmony . . . All cannot be Well in The Empire, if The Center of All that is Grace, and All that is Good, suffers the Tremors of Conflict . . . the Shadow’s Reach is without Boundary, and My Heart cries in dismay, for I have traveled across The Millennia to seek Guidance from those beyond Its insidious Grasp, only to find Paradise, lost . . .
what do The Fates know of My Endeavor, and do The Vagaries of Chance amuse Themselves, at My Trepidation ? . . . how am I, a humble Servant of Her Virtue, to fare against this aberration of Order, whose Virulence has permeated so deeply into The Empire . . . it matters not, for I stand under The Gaze of Come What May, and I have pledged to serve Her Will, with All My Heart, and to liberate, Hers . . .
and there, toward Her shimmering Crystal Castle, go I, Ever heedless of the Perils waiting beyond Tomorrow’s Edge . . . for Today, is My Beginning, My Emergence, from the Uncertain, to The Assured, from the Nebulous, to The Secure . . . from this Moment forward, I must accept the challenges of the unrevealed, and dare to confront the emanations of decay, that is Chaos . . .
and as TwiLight melts into My Surroundings, and I watch The Legion of Stars slowly gather throughout The Heavens above Me, in the Distance, One by One, from high aloft in The Iron Turrets that adorn The Shores of Eden, wrapped inside The Wind, flying across Eternity to forewarn of the Advent of Night, comes The Sound, of Bells . . .
The Seventh DoveTale
The Robes of Honor
and marching Forward, in The Legions of Compassion, come The Soldiers of Antiquity, and They alone are Those, who have walked in step with Courage, and They alone are Those, who shall be found so worthy enough, to Ever kiss The Ring on The Hand of Glory . . .
and still They come, The Mothers, who gave forth Their Sons and Lovers, to be crushed by The Wheels of Greed, for They too have cried and They too have died, and knowing too well, They so bleed . . .
and still They come, The Fathers, who have followed in God’s righteous Flame, and be They glad, and Always of Iron clad, yes, to have served in Heaven’s Name . . .
and of The Silence, still then, between The White Lilies, of When, that grew amidst the Monuments of Hate, and of the BagPipes played, over each Hill and each Glade, while the Drums, rolled in bright cadence, with Their Fate . . .
The Nearing
When Longing Weds Desire
( The Promise )
I gaze out upon The Sea, as The Dawn slowly pours over Me . . . Its brilliant Pageant of Light dances upon My Bed of Jewels, where I laid under a Blanket of Stars, to while away Night’s Passage . . . after a Moment’s Reflection, and a Prayer to All Things Dear, I set out toward The Palace, Once Again, along The Shores of Eden, along this Path of Tears . . . and in The Time of a Wink, My Eyes behold an Image, a Woman, of profound Splendor, walking toward Me, as if I were Her Intent, as if I were Her Reason . . . beside Myself with Wonder, I could only hope . . .
still at a Distance, for I cannot yet see Her Eyes, Her Body pleases Me . . . The Sand, The Sea, The Sky, All are in extreme Clarity, yet All are completely indescribable. . . My Focus, is the spectral Masterpiece in front of Me . . . My Adrenaline is a fevered Rush, and I must command the last vestiges of My Courage to resist taking flight . . . I keep walking, struggling to maintain a bearing of Serenity, and forge Onward . . .
I feel invincible, yet insignificant, by The Magnitude of Her Presence . . . I am alone with My Trepidation . . . I am alone, with Her . . . She moves, as Liquid, with a Grace that startles Me, and She is as natural to Her Surroundings as is SunLight, possessing a Radiance all Her Own . . . She is closer . . . I can now see The Smile I have sailed The Millennia to see . . .
the Sense of Time has abandoned Me, along with involuntary Impulses to breathe . . . Feeling has left My Fingertips, and My Vision, save for Her Aspect, is dimmed beyond Acuity . . . external Light Sources are fading, and all Sound is in retreat . . . conventional Thought synapsing is lost, and core body functions subsist on primal drive . . . My Mind, or what remains of It, is a spinning vortex, of pure, white-hot Awe . . . and My Heart, echoes the Roar and Velocity, of a TripHammer . . .
Her Eyes . . . Eyes that could send Armies into Oblivion, cause Empires to rise and fall, the Seasons to unwind, Suns to pale in surrender, and ordinary Men to Their knees . . . Windows to Galaxies are Her Eyes . . . thresholds to the Oceans of My Awareness, and All that is beyond the Realm of Understanding, and somehow, despite the immense Universe of Her Aura, I remain standing, walking, closer . . .
the Air seems to be vibrating softly, but with a Purpose, as if The Sky were about to crack from the Intensity of mere Thought . . . I have stepped within, surrounded, by The Colors of Her Essence . . . as Her Voice crosses The Distance between Us, spilling over Me like Cool Water, I can see Her Words, flying like Jewels across the Cyan Sky, and I am The Sky . . . She is speaking to My Heart, to Me . . . I am spellbound by the Intimacy, and I must respond and I cannot, for My Voice became dust, long Ago . . . closer, is no longer possible, for I am, where Here, is . . .
Artisans, Poets, Painters, and Sculptors down through Antiquity, have never captured The Loveliness of a Goddess such as She . . . Her Face, is a classic Vista of Wonder, and Perfection . . . a Mirror of flawless Crystal could never cast a likeness to compare with The Beauty before Me . . . and I am Ever humbled, in The Presence, of Her Majesty . . .
I am within Her . . . I am reborn, yet I have lost all Sense of self . . . Desire has become My Master though We have yet to Touch, for I feel I would require The Sanctification of Nature to do so . . . yet She, as if knowing My Thoughts, and with The Grace of a Swan, nods Her Head, and slowly raises Her Hand toward My Face . . .
no Man, gone or yet lived, has ever known of this Rapture, even in Dreams . . . the Fire of Anticipation rivals The Core of The Sun, burning All Senses . . . to be touched by Paradise, is to be made One with Her . . . I have never imagined being worthy of this Gift, of this Ecstasy . . . oh yes, to dance with The Muse, in whose Embrace awaits the seldom heard Whisper, of Fulfillment . . .
Her Hand caresses My Face, as She would The Wind, like Silk across My Skin . . . The Rhythm of Life flows through Her Touch, and electrifies My Soul . . . and in the Breath of a Moment, I know All that is in Her Heart, for She has given Me Her Own . . . She is Earth, She is Air, She is Light, She is The Dawn . . . I stand before Creation’s Daughter, and I am blessed, for She, is The Angel, of Love . . . I am wrapped, within The Music of Her Being, and I, begin, to cry . . .
The Eighth DoveTale
The Destiny of Kings
as a single TearDrop, falls into The Lake of Forgiveness, and creates a Ring, heard All across Heaven . . . as The Weight of a wooden Cross, bears down upon the unbeaten and bleeding Heart of a Son of God . . .
as a SuperNova, rips a Crack in The Sky, just as deep as the Memory of Evil, the filthy dogs of Chaos pause, to level their crazed and blood-hungry Eyes upon each other, only to find that their own vilest of all shadows, have been devoured by The Very Light of Dei . . .
as two lost and forgotten Angels, begin to cry Together, when at Last, and in The Presence of Their EverLasting Grace, there Here comes, The Rain, of Joy . . .
The Nearing
A Path, of Blue
( The Allurance )
when, at Last, becoming aware of a Drifting, I opened My Eyes, and found I was alone, and crying, still . . . while I sensed the Approach of TwiLight, yet Again, in every Direction, moving as Liquid around Me, was The Mist, obscuring from My Sight, All Traces of Her Retreat, All Traces of Her Presence, save One . . . there, in My Hand, fluttering in the everpresent Wind, and The Color of Heaven’s Sky, was The Ribbon . . .
My Heart surged with blissful Expectancy, for The Ribbon revealed that I still possessed My Senses, however bewildered, and this glorious Visit was not a Dream . . . My Face, where She had touched Me, tingled pleasantly, and reminded Me of the swan-like Elegance of Her Movements, as if The Air around Her danced to Her Wishes, as if The Galaxies moved in concert with Her Grace . . .
before long, as My Thoughts of Her became Gifts in The Arms of Memory, The Mist began to fade, and there, once more, untouched by The Tide of Time, was The Sea, and The Sands, of Eden . . . unaware of the Moments lost during Her Visit, The Day was drawing to a close around Me, and All inspired Plans of further Travel left My Agenda in favor of Rest, for I lacked the strength of Purpose, reveling as I was, in The Glory of Her Wake . . .
yet, as I wandered about in search of a suitable piece of ground on which to while Away the Night’s Arrest, I am consumed by Thoughts of Rapture, and of Perplexity . . . for I could not grasp Her Intent, nor if any Message was implied by Her Visit . . . all I knew for certain, is who She is, and that My very Existence, and the Happiness I yearn to find in My Life, depend upon My finding Her, again . . . and this, is The Promise I made to The Legion of Stars swirling in Celestia above Me . . . The Light, in Her Eyes, I will follow for Ever, for She, will Always be, The Path of My Eternal Desire . . .
listening to The Sea gently embrace The Shore, lulled to quiet Contemplation by the Whisper of The Waves, I wonder if Her Voice is The Sound I hear, and She is singing to Me, of Days gone by, of a Time long Ago, before the Fall of Night, of Joy, and Freedom, of Truth, and Friendship . . . a Time before The Well of Longing overflowed with The Tears of Angels, crying for All Things Dear, crying for a Thread of Hope, crying for this Ribbon, of Love . . .
and I whispered to The Wind and The Sea, Ever hoping She was listening to Me, and I promised Her, that both Her Heaven, and Her Heart, would know The Glory, of The Days to come . . .
The Ninth DoveTale
The Ring of Friendship
for Those who have yet heard, The Sound of Their Freedom’s Ring . . . nor tasted the sweet Nectar of an endless Summer, so long emptied from the Vessels of Your Desire . . .
nor Ever captured the elusive FireFlys of Your Fortune, so Once and Always in pursuit of The Vagaries of Chance . . .
nor traced The Lines upon The Face of Wisdom, where patiently waits The Meaning of Life, and so delicately poised, on The Brink of Your complete Understanding . . .
nor sang in The Choir of Her Divine Forgiveness, because Mercy has yet to gather each and every Moment, from Your inescapable Fall from Grace . . . and from This, there shall be Peace, on Earth . . .
The Nearing
Day, of Dreams
( The Remembrance )
I smile, as Dawn cracks The Sky anew, for this Day, will be like no Other . . . I stare into The Face of The Sun, The First of The Myriad, and remember My Promise to The Eyes of Heaven, for My Life is for Ever changed, altered by The Hands of Fate, to walk in The Arms of Destiny’s Wish, to yet experience The Embrace, of Love, Again . . .
bound to Her Purpose, I secure The Ribbon around My Neck, the cool Touch of Silk upon My Skin, and I feel The Pulse of Her Energies flow through Me . . . Nature’s Might seems within My Grasp, transformed as I am by Her Spirit, and I begin to understand the awesome Power of Her Will, lying just beyond My Fingertips, and the Immensity of Her Sorrow, lying just beyond My Heart . . .
with The Parade of Suns in full Ascension above Me, and the endless Multitude of Fragrances carried on The Wind from All Points within this Garden of Wonder, tantalizing My Senses, I set out, once More, in search of The Source of The Secrets of Paradise, waiting, beyond this Shore of Treasures, somewhere within The Sanctuary of Grace, behind the crystalline Walls, of The Palace of Rain . . .
and of The Mysteries that shroud this Woman of Dawn, this Bright Star of Enchantment, so buried, deep within My Soul, I cannot fathom, still . . . She drifts within The Corridors of My Heart, as a Phantom, as a Butterfly, of Golden Wing, swirling amid the Thoughts of Joy She weaves inside Me . . . yet, All the While, I hear the faintest, most delicate Sound, One which She tries desperately to hide behind Her Songs of Mirth, One which carries The Sorrows of Destiny in its Wake, for The Sound, is of Her precious Heart, breaking . . .
will I, Ever, bring Joy to Her Life, as completely as She has done for All Creation, with as much undying Selflessness ? . . . will I, Ever, succeed in creating a lasting Impression in Her Mind to compare with the limitless Sea of Devotion that exists within Her Heart for All Things Dear, inside The Infinite Web of Her Compassion ? . . . I pray My undying Loyalty and Honor will prevail, and, after All is said, after All is done, My final Breath will carry to Her Heart, My Promise, of Her Fulfillment . . .
and will I, Ever, possess The Courage required to stand against the Cause of Her Sorrow, to stand in The Well of Her Tears, and hold back The Tide of Her Anguish ? . . . for She stands before All with The Might of Titans, The Jewel of All that Her Eyes survey, ready to defend Her Dominion, with the ancient and iron-clad Armor, of Her Everlasting Grace . . .
The Tenth DoveTale
The Pinnacle of Choice
soaring high Above, in the lofty and verdant Canopies of The Sentinels of Creation, where every Wish and every Prayer has found Refuge, within the stalwart Boughs of Remember, where each are held, for Ever, in a single Ray of Hope, and warmed, for Always, by a single Breath of God . . .
there is felt a faint and somehow fragrant Vibration, a susseration of Imminence, a soft and subtle Shift, in The Paradigms of Our Purpose, as though the very Gleam in a lonely Child’s Eye, could bring All Heaven to Its Knees, cause The Seasons to unwind, and The Suns to blink, and yes, these Armies, into The Maelstrom . . .
and All so brought Forth, here in The Echo, of The Reason Why . . .
The Nearing
Into A Valley of Roses
( The Primeval )
lying just beyond The Edge of Vision, dancing, like a Mirage, within The Mists of Remember, is The Palace, surrounded by gently rolling Hills of verdant Forests, dense, secluded Groves, lush Meadows, and Streams ribboning Their Way among Copses of varied Brush and Thicket . . . and laced perfectly within this Panorama are delicate Tapestries of every Flower, of every Color, rivaling My Senses for attention, and All radiant under a wondrously Blue, Sun-filled Sky . . .
I find Myself standing at the Convergence of PathWays, each having a Source from The Sea, and All leading toward the inland Beauty of Eden . . . My Vantage Point atop The Dune provides a view of extreme Clarity, in All Directions, All astounding in Their Allure . . . yet, I must leave The Sea, My infinite Path of Stars, behind Me now, It’s profound Splendor to wait, patiently, for My Return . . . and silhouetted against the Velvet Sky, in crystalline Grace, moored within The Sea’s liquid Embrace, out beyond The Reach, is My Ship of Light, reflecting The Memories of My Voyage, a Path chosen, long Ago, and only just begun . . .
and with these Memories came a Voice, again, Her Voice, rising up from the quiet Swell of The Waves, carried on the faintest sussuration of Wind, telling Me of The Dreams of The Innocent, and The Prayers of The Forgotten, to be remembered, once More, for Always . . . Her Voice became The Whispers of Children, lost and alone under the darkened Skies of Time, waiting for just one Look, into The Eyes of Hope, and just one Touch, from The Hand of Love . . .
as delicate as Its Arrival, Her Voice fades Away, into a sacred Corner of My Heart, to be remembered, to be honored, to live On . . . I am left to dance alone with Her Memory, holding The Spirit of Her Wishes, and The Phantoms of Her Sorrow . . . and for every Breath She takes, be It of Gladness, or of Sadness, I shall engulf within My Sea of Devotion . . . I shall carry Her Tears in the Palm of My Hand, until They become Diamonds on The Shores of Time, and I shall Ever bring The Sound of Her Laughter, far beyond The Frontiers of this Universe . . .
with a Sigh as Deep as Heaven, I turned My Gaze from Yesterday, and stepped within Her Garden’s fragrant Aura, to follow The Path laid before Me, Eons Ago, toward The Palace of The Sun . . . and as My Eyes fell upon The Abundancy, the rich, vibrantly exotic Panoply of Life arrayed beyond The Dune, I see, quivering on a murmured Breeze, tied to a Willow’s Branch, as Blue as The Sea, a Ribbon . . .
The Eleventh DoveTale
The Chariots of The Sun
as The Light of All Creation begins to pour from The Crack in The Sky, as if to herald a Purpose known only to Fate, up until This Moment, moving soft and slow across The Horizon, and Ever drawn by The Might of Seven Hundred Horses, of Ebony, Left, and of Ivory, Right, are now assembled The Supreme Guardians of Her Virtue . . .
and deep in The Core of these massive Ships of Her Infinite Might, thundering like The Roar of Titans, rising from The Throats of The Engines of God, fueled by The High Glory of Her EverLasting Desire, burn The Fires, of Ice . . .
The Nearing
Pools of Innocence
( The Shimmering )
amidst All It’s gloriously vivid Wonder, My Senses revel, overwhelmed by the kaleidoscopic Display of Nature’s Pageantry . . . every Sight, Sound, and Smell pours over Me like Cool Water, a total immersion into The Tapestry of Her Essence, for I am walking within Her Mind’s Eye, within The Portrait of Her Imagination . . . The River of Suns above bathe each facet in a Tapestry of Light, as if The Air were Gold, and All Things are blessed in The Brilliance of Her Majesty . . .
the Woodlands and Meadows abound with Life, of every Class and Category . . . scores of Mammals, Reptiles, and Insects wander about, from every assortment of Fauna, creating a Myriad of zoological Diversity far beyond My Capacity to analyze . . . My Amazement is tested further when I realize, some regard My Presence with nothing more than mild Curiosity, while others illustrate a welcoming Acceptance, as if knowing of My Purpose, exhibiting subtle, though discernible Nods or Sounds of Approval . . .
and above Me, in the Azure Meadows of The Sky, fly every conceivable form of winged Creature, a bewildering Display of Talon, Feather, and Beak, in a grand Ballet of aerial Mastery . . . Flocks of every Plumage gracefully arc across My Vision creating luminous Waves of Color, brilliant Hues dancing from every Crest and Tail . . . how I so long for Their Freedom, and Their lifelong Caress of The Wind . . . yet how fortunate I am, to witness The Grace, of The Birds of Paradise . . .
through Glade and Glen I aimlessly wander, over The Fields of Her Forgiveness, over Her Pastures of unbridled Artistry, All overflowing in Their Abundance, All so richly woven with the Colors, Textures, and Fragrances of Life . . . and The Sounds of this Eden echo vibrantly through every Leaf, every Petal, every Thicket, every Briar, and every Blade of Grass, to create a lavishly resonant Symphony of Nature, enveloping My Senses in Harmonic Perfection . . .
and Soon, as I draw closer to The Heart of The Valley, and The Palace looms radiant within the diaphanous Veil of Mist, shining now, in Full Grandeur, draped in effervescent Ribbons of colored Light, I hear a different Sound . . . a Rush, whisper-like, floats through The Air to announce My Nearness to The Stream, and I quicken My Steps toward Its Course . . . for My Journey has taken Me many miles, through every sort of terrain, and I wish to rest My Body and Soul awhile, to gather My Thoughts of The Days gone by, to ponder The Days to come, to ly in cool Shade upon Its Shore, and to drink of Its liquid Grace . . .
glittering Gems of SunLight, reflected from The Stream’s gently undulating Surface, dart magically about, painting every Avenue of Approach in a Tempest of Gold . . . All Sound is hushed, save for the Whisper of Water, The Path of Life, as It meanders On toward Fields and Forests of Another Day, endlessly, until The Horizon delivers It once more, into The Sky’s Embrace . . . I can almost taste Its cool Fragrance, as I step within sight of Its crystalline Blue, and become mesmerized by The Beauty . . .
quiet was The Mockingbird, as I draw nearer, and The Look in Her Eye told of Her Purpose, as Sentinel, before whom, All shall Pass . . . with a Nod of Understanding, I move closer to The Edge, and the sudden Stillness, takes My Breath away . . . The Stream, as if told by Nature to do so, slows to a Pause in front of Me, becoming a flawless Ribbon of Glass . . .
and now, finally within Reach, I kneel down beside a Pool of pristine Clarity, and gaze into Its Secrets, and as I begin to fathom The Reasons Why, there, slowly rising to The Brink of Knowledge, up from The Depths of Wisdom, emerging phantom-like, to rest upon The Windows of My Eyes, I see, Her Face, Again . . .
The Twelfth DoveTale
The Children of The Clouds
and as Far as The IcanSea, echoing well beyond The Reach, and long past The Broken Sound, wrapped in The Wonder of Because, and All gathered in a single, shimmering Tear from The Eye of Always, comes The Reign . . .
and as what was the Darkness, disappears into what was the Night, and All Evil now haunts only The Memories of The Follies of Men, a solitary Soldier, battle-worn and weary, takes a final Look at The Instrument of Her Justice, His Sword, that Once upon a Time, and far Ago and long Away, in a Place called Camelot, was named Excalibur, and was forged, for an Eternity, in The Crucible of Truth . . .
and before Our Yesterdays could tell Tomorrow of what has finally come to pass, He thrusts The Sword deep into The Rock of Patience, and then All The Weigh, up to The Hilt . . .
for The Blade had been made, from The Voices of The Children of The Love of God, and was Ever honed in The Blood of Angels, and a Savior, and Long may They All rest, Here, in The Comfort, of The Reason Why . . .
* * *
and as Their Voices cascade, across a World not forgotten, and Come What May winks, and nods, to So It Shall Be, far Away in The Distance, where The Stars shall for Ever kiss The Sky, I and Those All around Me lift Our Eyes to see, Her victorious Flock of Grace, now standing, behind The Son . . .
The Nearing
The Sky of Her Mind
( The AbundanSea )
I am riveted by The Rapture of Her Gaze, as She stares from the flawless crystalline Mirror of Perfection, a Pool of deep liquid Sapphire only Moments Ago . . . Her Face, so much lovelier than I remembered, is haloed by The Panoply of Heaven above Us, a luxuriant Coronet of Stars, and The Array is matched by The Galaxies of Her Eyes . . . She regards Me with an exquisite Allure, and I must restrain My Impulses to plunge into The Depths to embrace Her Essence, this Illusion of Paradise . . . slowly, so as not to break The Spell, I reach toward Her Image, smiling there, a Portrait of Grace, and as My Hand hovers between a Thought and a Wish, She winks, and in an Instant, is gone . . .
while I try to gather My Senses, each a swirling Gale of Confusion, and My Heart begins to recover from still another Incidence of extreme Longing, there, on The Wind, a faint yet enchanting Fragrance dances lightly through The Surround, wrapping around Me like a Breath of Silk . . . All at Once, I know It to be Her Fragrance, Her Scent, a singular Bouquet of Her seductively elusive Mystery, and the hypnotic Allusion of Her Promise . . . as intrepid as I fancy Myself to be, in The Light of All I have seen, and All I have done, I feel as fragile to Her Design as would a Feather, in a Cyclone . . . I am but Clay, cradled in The Hands, of The Master . . .
how deep Her Hold on Me is, for I cannot fathom the Eternity of spending One Moment without Her . . . so Total is Her Presence, that I sense The Nature of All Things, enveloped in The Cloak of Her Kindness, and I dream, of The Comfort of Simplicity . . . to dance within Her Loving Arms, would be to embrace The Gift, of Fulfillment . . . The Whisper, of The Muse . . . and still, She remains but an Apparition, and I am destined to walk this Path another Day, alone, in The Gardens of Her Mind . . . just as a Breeze, as if summoned by The Wake of Her Notion, gently pushes Me onward, toward Paradise . . .
for it is TwiLight, once more, The Chain of Suns having flown across The Sky, to find the Thoughts of Tomorrow . . . I, too, set off for the brighter Horizon, dressed now in a coral Splendor, and an Armada of rose-hued Clouds shepherd My Footsteps along The Path . . . in The Distance, bathed in the Embers of Sunset, stands The Palace, a Citadel of Love, exalting The Eyes of All that survey It, and as I pass, again, through The Bows of The Willow, I regard The Mockingbird, gazing there upon Me . . . with a Look that told of Diligence, and The Mark of Honor in Her Pose, Silence was The Message She gave Me, knowing I would understand . . . and long after I had watched Her fly away, did I notice yet another Ribbon, lying there, in My Hand . . .
as the endless Ballet of Stars majesticly wheels Its Way across the black velvet Sky above Me, I huddle closer to My only Candle, My Island of Light, and consider All Things, while the last Ring of The WatchTower Bells is swallowed once again, by the Chasm of Night, intensely vivid in its chilling Splendor . . . secure beneath My Cloak of Memory, and warmed by Thoughts of The Days to come, I surrender peacefully to The Veil of Sleep, knowing full well The Path My Dreams will for Ever wander . . . away, and by a Stream, in a Glen, through a Window, found in a Pool of Innocence, and illuminated by The Diamonds, in Her Eyes . . .
onWord, to
Dream III
The Diamond
( Third Beginning )
