…in the dark, in the dark, in the dark

The dance of the ages is wild and free
feathers of flames burn across sky and sea
the moon distils my tears in emotional alchemy
she cloaks herself in strange rings
as the tides shift and the winds sing
and they hold her close like a lover
when in truth, her lover will never be found

below in the gloom, the shadows sleep
shifting listlessly in the dark corners of the streets
from the wild woods and the deep springs
there rises a distant song
soft, like the salty breath of the distant sea
distant, in the same way
that your heart, remains distant from me

stars sweep the sky clear of the remnants of clouds
as if searching in fields of flowers
for a lover who will never be found
as I stand in the darkness below
my hands open like cups to catch the overflow
my wings drenched and dripping
now too heavy to fly
the weight pulls me to my knees
down to the damp forest floor
where I huddle with the trembling trees

the sky above is now still
an apparition close enough to touch
if only I could move
in the moment, only the birds are shifting
only the birds can be heard
the moon is silent in her seclusion
and perfume drifts in from the sea

loneliness, my only companion
whispers so softly to me
strangely comforting, emptiness fills me
for seconds, I have a vision of a shadowless sun
under which the thief of hearts
assails the souls of dreams
again, searching the night
for a lover who will never be found

dark flowers bloom unseen
but their whispers call to me in amethyst tones
they speak of impermanence
and the urgency that comes with fading
fading into the endless void
into the dreaded season
of wild winds and raging rivers
where memories are found and lost again
where the silence of the soul
is not peace, nor chosen
but a solitude, as deep as the ocean

where there is no sun to reveal the hour
a place far from the winds and the woods
where a lover who will never be found
is not there in the roses of morning
for there will never be a dawning
blood and souls have been sacrificed
and reality shifts in and out of sight
now there is a deathly silence
through which there comes a haunting call
only heard by the ones who are free

it shifts again, slips through the trembling trees
and the wind flows through my veins
cold as ice where my blood used to be
this is the call of a lover
a lover who will never be found
our shadows will not see the sun
and the night is now devoid of sound

the eyes of my heart are closed
and the call of the raven
now circles the moon
his melancholy echoes
reach into the deepest crevices of my soul
midnight shakes her dark tresses
until they cover every inch of light
the sky is broken, the stars have fallen
and the moon slips into the sea

colours painted over
black upon black upon black
in this place where no lover will be found
tears fall unseen, into the ebony sea of night
the winds are as silent as the tides
and the fragrance of mist and magnolias
drifts from the starless graves of the sky

your heart is now so distant
like the waves of the broken sea
and the songs of the wild woods
they no longer serenade me
the eyes of darkness
look through the heart of the night
searching for the love in this place
this place, that has no lover to be found

my poetry is built upon the lost stars
and the cries of the souls
that drift back from the distant sea
I try to remember the forest
I try to remember the trees
I try to remember the moon
but the shadows are all I can see

In the dark in the dark in the dark
I search for my memories
for the angels that looked over me
for the stars that floated free
for the sun that once warmed the sea
for the wind that caressed the trees
for the rain that kissed the wildflowers
for the moon that transformed the night
for the place where no lover can be found
for the dream that my lover will find me
in the dark in the dark in the dark

© Ann Bagnall