To Hopefulness

What vile infusion calls me to the brink Of ruthless fear and callous doubt sown deep Within my heart, where tides of malice bring To mind deep wells whence cheerlessness I seep? I lie, forgotten by the vim of peace, Beneath the elderberry tree, whose wine And flowers make me dream of restless waves Which crash upon the shores of fright. I pine For nights when toil, distress and tears might cease And I am spared the view of solitary graves. Thick, lulling clouds obscure the sight of day And sprinkle tears of time upon the ground, Whose sturdy coat compels the grass to pay A debt of dew in silence free of bound. As elms and birches grow, so does concern On shoulders bent by old, abandoned dreams, Or heavy over eye lids—closed by fright— Which never ‘gain shall see the merry leams Bestowed by joy on man. Indeed, more stern Than thirst or death can be a spirit’s blight! Unknown to day, besought in vain by night, The ecstasy of flight in heaven’s music shines, Though light and voices tremble to the sight Of sorrow’s dawn, when star-ward hope declines. How fresh and candid is the charming dance Of graceful cranes, whose wings spread out to seek The land of palm trees, where Euterpe’s spell Bewitched the clever lyre bird’s will, whose beak Sings royal chants and thrills, as in a trance, The deafest ear, its woe and thirst to quell! Farewell to gloom and sadness, then! I see How love of youth and bliss, unchecked by time, Inspire the soul—as in a gleeful spree— To burn, and then from ashes soar and shine. From this night forth, resented as it should, Let dull regret and fear suspire and die A hasty death, unheeded and alone, For peace and hopefulness! May not a sigh Be heard when cruel dejection dares to brood, Nor good hearts bleed on graveyard slabs of stone! Find my poems and published poetry volumes at www.eton-langford.com