I don't remember which dream it was
In this life or some other
The window glass broken by a tree branch
In the midst of a merciless storm
Turning in silence toward a candle
On a mortar rock mantle
To have the wind extinguish the flame
As a voice in the distance
Wails for help, then nothing else
I can't say with any certainty
How many souls make a star shine
Nor the number of tears cried in a lifetime
The tapping of a knuckle upon an empty wooden barrel
The crow, the dove, the eagle, the sparrow
Deepest cynicism expounded by reality
Absolute order torn apart by calamity
The wind picks up against all prayers
An ancient hibernation begins to stir
Everybody wants to flee
But move not for they know
No sanctuary is there to go
Nor compound nor encampment to regain control
Bitter-cold old crawling on your hands and knees
Oh the causes and changes in a generation
To have an entire river rage in the opposite direction