Ah, but to look
Out the window
And see

The bright horizons
I have imagined
All my life

The sky darkens
The earth cools
And all the world slows

But here
Hearths roar
Hearts quicken
Both with flames alight
Their warmth unbound

The sands swirl bright
And the glass glistens
As with each dropping grain
A moment passes

Hoary frost coats the grasses
And a chill air bites my nose
But to see the roses bloom in your cheeks
Brings warmth to my heart

In dreams there is a peaceful world
A quiet world
Where the heart slows
Where my mind lives free
Of the shadows that crowd my eyes
When they are open

The cool air crystallizes

All around

And words grow still

Their rhythm

Arrested

But with them

The heat

Subsides