Because I Love a Dead Man

?Message to a Ghost?

I
Let me walk where others have gone before,
A long winding way, and you the master of the road,
The worn path of smooth ancient stones,
The moss covered runes under foot,
Let me follow you, tracing your footsteps.

Show me the footing, so that I may not be lost;
Teach me to see into the deepest places,
To understand the rhythm of rain,
To recognize the movements of countries and suns,
To listen to the power of a heart beat,
Teach me the words, the dance, the song;
Give me a voice and let me sing;
The ballad older than the written word
Speaks in a language stronger than symbols.

The bard?s trail illuminates the stars.
Take my hand and lead me there:
Be my guide, steer me towards brilliance.
Let the full moon shine in the lion?s sign,
And crown me with the centuries;
Buckle my sword at my waist,
Fastened to a belt of jewels and gold,
Polished brightness, pen of time;
Name me guardian of forever.


II
Come to me when I call your name,
Let me conjure your ghost,
And stay with me for a while; talk to me,
Let your words fill the abyss of night.

You were the Emperor,
Born far before your time.
You were the Magician,
Who wrote of things that would someday be.
You warned the world of itself.
You were a flame that devoured the darkness,
Yours was the brightest light in the sky,
That years could never fade.

You knew your calling and carried it high,
You never blinked at your fate, but rode it forth,
A tool to be weald until the end of days.
Your enemies feared you for your strength,
For your compassion, your humanity,
For your grandeur your style , and your glory.

You wrote your own legend,
Now let me write mine.
I, like you, am haunted by a muse,
A shadow of possibility in a parallel reality.
Let me kindle the spirit of the world
As you have done so long ago.


III
Lend me the strength to forego my fears,
And step into the darkness of the mind,
Build me a temple and let me pray,
In the empty of a tangled tail,
Ink blots on a blackened page,
In the depths of destiny, a lightless sea;
Let all things wash away:
Let the Earth crumble beneath me,
Let boulders turn to sand,
Let the fires grow to ashes,
Let the lakes dry up,
Let the air become stilled.

Close your eyes and dream for me.
Tell me of the planet?s undying beauty,
And of the sky?s unbreakable greatness;
Of the passion of a moment,
Of the promise of every dawn,
Of hunger for triumph and thirst for glory,
Of loving eyes and lusting lips,
Of laughter, and of joy,
Tell me that flowers grow in ruined cities,
That children will always run and play,
That broken hearts will mend,
And fairy tales do come true;
Cradle my visions and dry my tears,
Promise me that life is too full to ever die.



IV
Now leave me, so that I my find my own way,
Through the maze of silent footsteps
Echoing through the trembling halls,
The sun warming my skin, my hair, my heart.
Let me compose the future:
To kneel down before the last of things,
Across a bridge others have before built,
And become the mason of an age,
Laying the bricks one by one,
Which others may walk one day
To implore my words as I have yours,
For answers which can not be,
And a conclusion that can never end.

Let me follow what you began,
Let me piece together the mysteries,
Let me build upon creation,
And let me guide the future.
Let this path belong to both of us,
Yours and mine, to keep and to shield;
But, as I travel downwards,
Promise one last promise,
And wait for me at the ending.