Sheer Melody

A lonely traveler sat down in the park
On a bench, a rustic bench,
He felt tired, he wanted a drink,
He saw a tap, it seemed far away
“Was it far away?” he thought
Or was it just a figment
Of a worthless imagination
Torn by strife, mangled beyond repair...

Men passed him by, he looked at none,
He felt hungry, but his mind felt numb…
Is it me, he thought, closing his eyes
Or is it the world?

The world was closing in,
Times were changing, but he…
Like a wandering minstrel
Of times gone by, did not move

Night fell; it was a moonless night,
Vampires abound, he thought
With mirthless glee
Put me out of my misery, he prayed
Hoping he would be heard
Just this one time.

A little magic would do, he felt
A little prick on his finger
Or maybe a whiff of sweet perfume
The lines on his face
Shimmering with strain,
A life spent…

Degraded and deprived
He wanted to tell the others
About his vision, his dream;
His meeting with God, the almighty,
He knew they would ne’er believe
He wanted strength, to cope
To live without fear…

A little girl sat by him,
She was a pauper, a tramp
With little clothes on her battered body
The man looked at her,
Smiled and put an arm on her shoulder
“Would you like my coat honey?”
“Would it help?”
The girl leant on him,
The man felt her frail body, ready to break…
I know her, he thought,
He just couldn’t remember

His eyes were burning,
Grief overwhelmed him
He took the girl into his arms
He suddenly could remember
The eyes, the nose, the innocence…
Of her face, the frailness of her body
He caressed her to sleep

The sky was red, the stars had gone
He didn’t know where to go
I’m losing my mind, he felt
What good is a mind?
In a world at its end?
He gripped his child, his only child
“Here it comes”, he thought,
Crying for relief,
As the world collapsed
Collapsed and folded all around him
Beyond repair,
Beyond any possible repair…