The Stars

O Stars, you shining orbs of light,
You shards of flame that fill the night,
Tell me: was my vision true?
For if it was, you saw it too.

Was I, who was then but a boy,
Ever truly filled with joy?
Did she whose lips I thought I kissed
Only in my mind exist?

O Stars, you crystal balls of fire,
You eyes that burn with hot desire,
If happiness was ever true,
I find it now in only you.

T. G. 10/30/18

The Dream

Behind the stars, which in their rolling course
Do turn around the Earth and back again;
Beyond the "rolling spheres," and spires of shock
Which in the storms do punctuate the rain,
I wandered far, searching for the Light,
But what I found was only endless night.

And as I thought upon the light for which
I yearned with all my heart, I came upon
A gap in Earth, Sky, Sea, and memory,
And in I fell, I know not for what reason.
But as I fell, my soul asked, "Will I find
The Light which my own mem'ry has left behind?"

The Darkness all around me found a voice,
And, with a thunderous roar, it answered, "No."
Thus far, the Dark has proven to be true,
And Life, for me, is Misery, and Woe.
But there may come a time when I will find
The Light I seek, and leave the dark behind.

T. G. 10/12/14