Poetry by: Dal
If e'er the shroud of darkness settles in
Wilt thou in horror turn to run away
For I could halt this loveless life of sin
If thou wouldst help me end this hollow fray
The fire within my soul doth burn for thee
But chilling thoughts are stronger than this flame
The battle rages on inside of me
For fear that I may cause thee undue pain
So when my silence wounds like no sword can
And pride becomes the deadliest of sins
I lay my weary heart in virtuous hands
And trust that thou will heal the wound within
To win this battle with humility
I must surrender all myself to thee
copyright: July 1999
{On a Night of Fitful Sleep}{When Darkness Dies}{No Need} {In Sleep}
{After the First Time} { A Bard's Shame}{At Sin's End}{top of page}
On a Night of Fitful Sleep
(A Tale)
"Three simple words I dare not speak
For fear you'll turn away
The eyes with power to make me weak
With every passing day
"My heart is vexed with endless pain
Of needing one so dear
The thought that you might leave again
Summons my greatest fear
"The darkness in me quells the need
To tell you how I feel
Your light on which my hunger feeds
Is stronger, greater still
"But words do not come easily
To warriors such as I
Still you, sweet bard, eternally
Remain here at my side
"So tell me, love, how I deserve
Your light to guide my way
When just three simple little words
Are still so hard to say"
Thus on a night of fitful sleep
The warrior's thoughts were heard
She uttered words she'd sworn to keep
From her beloved bard
And in the bard's pretended sleep
A simple smile appeared
In silence she began to weep
For words she'd longed to hear
"Oh, Gods, why must such torture be
That I cannot confess
The love, go great, I feel for thee
My warrior princess
"Each night I sleep in wondrous bliss
To feel your warmth so near
I ache to taste your sweetest kiss
A need too great to bear
"I love you more than words express
My scrolls cannot contain
Emotions felt to such excess
And not to be restrained
"So now as I pretend to sleep
As you lay by my side
My heart is filled with ecstasy
To hear your gentle cries
"For I did hear your thoughts, my love
They echo mine in need
And I must thank the Gods above
For bringing you to me
And as their bodies then entwined
As darkness stole away
The bard and warrior came to find
Each other's kiss that day
So this is where my story ends
A tale too seldom heard
Their life in love will now begin
The warrior and her bard
{A Warrior Surrenders} {On a Night of Fitful Sleep} {When Darkness
Need} {In Sleep}
{After the First Time} {A Bard's Shame}{At Sin's End}{top of page}
When Darkness Dies
(A bard's scattered thoughts over one warrior princess)
All that I've missed
The Fates and Furies know
Your tortured past
Where darkness lives
Where I can never go
What mysteries
Will once again unfold
And bring to light
Your history
The secrets yet untold
I lie awake
Defenseless to your pain
I feel your wounds
A potent ache
An anguish with no name
I hear your screams
They make my blood run cold
As you cry out
In haunted dreams
Where monsters steal your soul
I cannot bear
The weight within my heart
It drives me mad
To see your fear
To see you torn apart
Am I so weak
That I cannot console
Your heavy heart
To me it speaks
Of unimagined woe
Your deeds betray
The darkness which you claim
To this I vow
My love convey
Help vanquish all your pain
Fear not my love
For every night I pray
And they have heard
The gods above
Have smiled on us today
With tattered maps
I've searched the world for naught
My soul has found
Its missing half
The love which I have sought
Within your eyes
My future is revealed
Inside your arms
The darkness dies
And truth is not concealed
I see your smile
And burning eyes of blue
To know such joy
One thousand miles
Barefoot I'd walk for you
I've never known
Such overwhelming bliss
Your love could melt
A heart of stone
I'd swear my life to this
Elysian Fields
Though wondrous to behold
Cannot compare
To when I feel
The beauty in your soul
You are my light
To this I must confess
For you I live
For you I'd die
My warrior princess
{A Warrior Surrenders} {On a Night of Fitful Sleep}{No Need}
{In Sleep}
{After the First Time} A Bard's Shame}{At Sin's End}{top of page}
I need no charts to guide me
For you are my way
I need no lantern to conquer my darkness
For you are my light
I need not pray for strength
For you are my source
I need not wish for anything
For you are the best thing
You need not ever leave
For I am yours
{A Warrior Surrenders} {On a Night of Fitful Sleep}
{When Darkness Dies} {In Sleep}
{After the First Time} {A Bard's Shame}{At Sin's End}{top of page}
As I watch you sleep
Your body finally at rest
Dark thoughts -- long forgotten
You smile a peaceful smile
As you dream . . .
And what do you dream of
In the land of slumber
As Morpheus guides your way
Away from me
Into loving arms . . .
And what arms enfold you
To make you smile thus
Are they soft like the Lotus
Tender as night
Where love awakens . . .
And what passions awaken
In this other realm
Where I cannot follow
My dreams are elsewhere
Where I feel . . .
And did I feel you tremble
As I lay beside and find
Your journey is with me
As slumber beckons
'Tis you who beckons . . .
What words do you whisper
Let me move close
As you call my name
In the land of dreams
As I watch you sleep
{A Warrior Surrenders} {On a Night of Fitful Sleep}
{When Darkness Dies}{No Need}
{After the First Time} {A Bard's Shame}{At Sin's End}{top of page}
The quill gripped tightly in my trembling hand
The parchment, thirsty for words, beckons
Yet I, I have no words
The night revealing all its hidden wonders
You ask for truth in what I feel
Oh love, I have no words
{A Warrior Surrenders} {On a Night of Fitful Sleep}
{When Darkness Dies}{No Need}
{In Sleep}
{A Bard's Shame}{At Sin's End}{top of page}
"Tell me," she says.
"Tell me what you see.
"Tell me what's to come,
"And guide my way from darkness."
"Tell me," she says.
"Tell me what you feel.
"Tell me who I am,
"And I shall believe your every word."
"Tell me," she says.
"Tell me what you want.
"Tell me so I'll now,
"And I shall give you all myself and more,"
"Tell me" she says.
But I am silent -
Ashamed at the poverty of my words
{A Warrior Surrenders} {On a Night of Fitful Sleep}
{When Darkness Dies}{No Need}
{In Sleep}
{After the First Time}{At Sin's End}{top of page}
Ready to relinquish all,
I buried what I was
In a shallow grave;
Perhaps to keep dead memories.
Stripped of my identity, I stood
Naked to the gods,
A stranger to myself,
An enemy to all.
A cry for help
Awakened a spirit, long dead.
I moved earth,
And found myself again.
And light followed darkness
Out of darkness.
And where I had not searched,
My soul found me.
Now I am filled
With something, yet intangible,
Immeasurable,
Veiled in brightest light
As darkness wanes, rapt
In fancied innocence.
I sleep
The guiltless sleep I had forgot'
When dreams were red:
When blood of dead and faceless
Many filled my nights.
My days,
The next replacing the last,
Are days of joy replacing sorrow:
When blue dives into pools
Of green and I sink deep
Into understanding.
She has colored a world
Once black and white and
Mostly gray.
In her 'tis rest, at last, I find.
And in so finding,
My endless search will end
Where I begin
To atone for the sins of my past.
{A Warrior Surrenders} {On a Night of Fitful Sleep}
{When Darkness Dies}{No Need}
{In Sleep}
{After the First Time} {A Bard's Shame} {top of page}