Poetry by: Tim Wellman
{ Battle On } { Gabrielle's Story } { Xena's Song } { Lament for a Warrior } { To Gabrielle }
{ To Solon } { Back to Tim's Poetry Page }
When age has dimmed the bright spark of battle,
the clash of swords ringing only in Gabrielle's stories,
will Xena stoke the fire softly and remember?
The light in her eyes, dimming slowly to embers--
but will the battles still rage in her heart?
To Gabrielle she will say, "We had some times, didn't we?"
her voice weak, but still enchanting,
those years so long ago, beginning to fade;
and Gabrielle will tell her fantastic tales,
and together they will rejoin the fight,
standing firm on some distant field.
And they will relive the stories
of adventures and battles won, of people
and gods, of friends and enemies, all thrown
across the landscape of a warrior's life.
And for a fleeting moment, Xena will again feel
the cool steel in her hand as she grips the memory.
"We had some times," Gabrielle will say,
as they cling to each other for warmth
in a world too cold for their years.
{ Gabrielle's Story } { Xena's Song } { Lament for a Warrior }
{ To Gabrielle } { To Solon } { Top of Page }
Sometimes I watch her when she's sleeping,
and wonder, in her dreams,
what worlds, plain or fantastic, she walks without me.
Does she return to battles past
and lost from waking memory
to fight again,
or does she dream of quiet walks by the sea?
I know we lose the dream by waking up,
and, sometimes the things we forget, matter;
but dreams are worlds we leave behind
with every step we take,
and the destination is not as important as the journey.
But there is a glow, sometimes, in her eyes when she wakes,
and I know there is a part of her I can never possess,
a path we can not travel together;
and for a moment I am jealous of her sleep.
But what foolish thoughts!
Dream on, Xena--in whatever world you find yourself,
I will be here when you return.
{ Battle On } { Xena's Song } { Lament for a Warrior }
{ To Gabrielle } { To Solon } { Top of Page }
The unspoken things between us,
the quick glance, the chanced smile,
are things I will always remember.
Oh, Gabrielle, if you only knew.
You are my saviour, the hand that stills
my soul, the words that fill my songs.
In you, the battle melts to silence;
innocence destroys the rage.
I hold your face in my hands
and see myself in your eyes,
somehow reborn, content to remain there forever.
My sweet, flittery bird, I can not bare
to restrain you, but am so afraid you'll fly;
and someday, I know, your enchanting spell
will be cast toward someone else,
and I'll watch them melt in your arms;
and silently, a warrior too afraid to speak,
I'll watch you leave.
The thought cuts deeply;
but with all my might,
I can not walk away.
I am caught in the web of your stare.
{ Battle On } { Gabrielle's Story } { Lament for a Warrior }
{ To Gabrielle } { To Solon } { Top of Page }
Blue as your eyes were,
I never saw in them an ocean;
there wasn't time.
There was time only for glances over the fire;
for the short poem of an afternoon
folding back into evening;
for a simple dialogue full of hidden meaning.
I cannot bring you back from memory
to follow my subtle hints,
to hold my soul in your imagination,
like the fragile thing it was.
You smiled those sad thoughts,
and I fell like a stone.
The door opened;
the door closed; in-between,
the short fall of conversation tumbled like waves
washing away footprints on the beach.
I doubt you even remember,
so long ago,
such a brief encounter.
But passing through the mist
of years gone by,
of battles and peace,
of joy and pain,
once, if for only a moment,
you were mine.
{ Battle On } { Gabrielle's Story } { Xena's Song }
{ To Gabrielle } { To Solon } { Top of Page }
I could imagine a world
where your voice was silent
and time fell fast away without your stories
and your smile, but
how cold and dark the journey would be.
I had lost my heart
before you gave me yours;
I had forgotten peace
before your soul resurrected mine.
But in your laughter I can forget
how close I was to that imagined life;
and, if sometimes, I touch your cheek
without saying a word, or simply brush my body against
your arm as we walk along,
it's only my attraction to your warming light,
and my fear of imagined night.
{ Battle On } { Gabrielle's Story } { Xena's Song }
{ Lament for a Warrior } { To Solon } { Top of Page }
Sweet child,
how can I tell you
my dreams of a mother's heart,
breaking with every thought,
as I hold your face in my mind
like flowers folded into a summer dress,
till the night dissolves to sleep.
I have invented an image of you,
breathless, laughing,
falling through me like a warm breeze
as you run and play.
And as the image unfolds to the real,
how can I say, now,
I love you?
I know, it is impossible
to reclaim a gift,
but for one precious moment,
I felt you in my arms,
and as the brief scene played,
you once again belonged to me.
And as I opened my hands
and watched you flitter away,
my silly heart flew with you,
to soar with your innocence
and adventures awaiting you,
a life to live, without me,
but never forgotten.
{ Battle On } { Gabrielle's Story } { Xena's Song }
{ Lament for a Warrior } { To Gabrielle } { Top of Page }