(Originally written September 25, 2010)

One dark night, when the wailing winds wander,
And moonbeams from Artemis’ bow abound,
When Nox, with his ethereal slumber,
Blankets the mortals upon Gaea’s ground.

Deep within my dark and silent chamber,
I lie on my bed and am fast asleep,
While in my slumb’ring mind runs that specter,
That dream, that nightmare, in my mind doth creep.

Thus a dreamscape is painted in my mind,
Golden sands reduced to monochrome hues,
In the moonlight, and to the east you’d find,
A shining ocean of the deepest blues.

A white-hot starburst on a cloudless sky,
Illuminates the mountaintops out north,
While to the west, the palms and forests pry,
Lush dark greens, the finest of Nature’s worth.

And to the south, along the horizon,
A single beam of unwavering light,
Where the waves crash over rocks is stationed,
A lighthouse, its lone beacon shining bright.

Suddenly, from out of the velvet sky,
A stream of rainbow colored auroras,
Among the silver scattered stardust fly,
Weaving and showing their astral auras.

And there was before me a swirling,
Of heavenly light, fast growing brighter,
And from within it, a lily-white robe,
Into the cool gentle night breeze fluttered.

From the shadows within rose a deity,
A damozel of Olympus’ domain,
Whose form would be Aphrodite’s envy,
Unknown that Earth could such beauty contain!

She stepped out before me, and flashed a smile,
Enough to melt the hardest of stone hearts,
Her ebony locks swaying gently while,
My heart caught a volley of Eros’ darts.

The Northern Lights kept swimming in the sky,
And the dreamscape around us stood firmly,
Stepping among the golden grains I try,
To speak, but my voice would not obey me.

Just when all seemed well, a great dark abyss,
Cast by the invisible hand of Fate,
Between us formed, and a blinding darkness,
Sliced clean through the ground upon which we wait.

The starlight pulsed and the moonlight wavered,
The golden sands shifted, the waves withdrew,
The lush greens left, the Northern Lights tapered,
The winds shrieked wildly as the chasm grew.

The dreamscape vanished, yet she still remained,
The last reminder from that Paradise,
An anchor of hope, while all is in vain,
And a godless void continues to rise.

And upon me, the final blow was struck,
The merciless hands of time descended,
And barriers more solid than any rock,
Formed, and all hope finally receded.

Alas! How I envy Tantalus’ fate!
I grope for something far more important,
Than sustenance, I long for living’s weight,
A reason to exist is all I want!

As I lament, the deity went her way,
To her I’m just some distant memory,
How could I have persuaded her to stay,
When the wall ‘tween us spans eternity?

So very near, yet desperately far,
A few steps off, yet each step an eon,
That Love sees me through this desperate war,
I will ensure, though I cross Oblivion!

The nightmare continues until that day,
When that dream deity again comes my way!