4. Stanzas -February 2013

 

Away! The setting sun reveals the moon,
Company has made the last good cheer of even.
Away! The thickening clouds will make it darker soon,
And the deep night will cover the multitude of heaven.

Tarry not! The hour’s late! Each voice cries, “Away!”
Overstay not your welcome of such a gracious mood.
Your lover’s eyes, yet regretful, do not ask you to stay,
And necessary evil sends you seeking solitude.

Away, away! to your poor and humble home,
Cry unheard tears on the unaffected hearth,
Watch the days and weeks pointlessly go and come,
And make a string of months occasion without mirth.

The news of world dilemmas shall float around your head,
And the fortunes of the stars promptly land before your feet,
All of life’s most noteworthy in memorandum of the dead,
And columns upon columns pressed well after your press meet.

The stars beyond the bright glare themselves may not repose,
And the moon whilst hidden by the clouds must still affect the deep,
In the densely peopled city, no certain rest one knows,
Your company but present in the peopled dreams of sleep.

Thou in death shalt rest – yet, until those spirits flee,
That graciously made you comfort within that home erewhile,
By remembrance and acceptance of that time you are not free,
For your deep repose is haunted by the way she forced a smile.