My Personal Paradise

My first step out of the golden gates,cobbled sidewalks lined with roses

My first step on this walk of life - for life - one precious, elusive life
Down a path where memories walk, leading to a treasured dream
As the world I know dissolves into a wilderness of conflicting thoughts
I pick my way in careful steps, avoiding bundled weeds and jagged roots
Eyes searching the gaps among the trees out of sheer habit - empty hope
Branches rustle in the wind, reaching desperately for their fallen leaves
Birds sing of joy, insects stir, a lone wolf howls for a long lost mate
But underneath the sounds of life, the wind sings a haunting melody
Reminding me of all that is, and all that soon might cease to be
Insatiable thirst slows my step, perhaps more than just a physical need

But will, sweet will, proves stronger still, as memories cloud my consciousness

Light from the evening sun seeps in through the branches overhead

Wavering, fading into shadows - an enchantment of the end of day

A starless night! A moon still red - sinister in its soft, reflected glow

Absence of life, a vacant world - a cold and dreadful existence

An unseen raven calls aloud - warning or encouragement?I know not yet
But my elusive faith finds its way back - company serves as sustenance

And with each deliberate step the path is less defined, less traversed by

Till it fades into a tangle of thorns - hindering, cutting, drawing blood

So when I pass the edge of the cliff  into the nothingness beyond

When the stark, empty white engulfs me, when each breath breaks my resolve

All I want is the last backward glance, the glimpse of your everlasting smile

The glow of life in the depth of your eyes - that's my personal paradise