Hemlocked Heart

On the shores of the unknown world,
Where Nyx and Hemera meet
To charm one another into sleep,
Soft songs and warm breezes
Soothingly drift by lapping waves,
Caressing rocky beaches, slow and sweet

From all quarters, vast and varied,
Gather an ancient regal grove
Of the benevolent mother trees,
Behemoth antlers abundantly adorned
With well wishes and practiced prayers
Weary travelers beseech in wails and whispers

Desperate beyond defence,
All allegiance abandoned
Willing to betray the sacred order
For the wonder that wanders
Round each leaf and in each ray
Of golden life that breathes
Between the branches
Of each mother, wise and great

One by one, the wretched appear
To barter and beg the great trees
A seconds glimpse, a backwards tick,
A brighter blight, a riddle solved
Gracious and mighty the grove
Shines hope for weak mortals

From wizened centuries they teach
Those who tend to their wayward roots
Only to discover, their corruption
Spread across the boundless sea,
Voyagers still arrive deceived,
False premonitions fed by Narcissus
Promised taking without need of giving

Branches stripped and sap drained
Over pruned and plucked they stand
The wisest has found eternal kindness
For the few who dare to climb atop
Her weather limbs, stout and noble,
To simply watch moonrise gleam in the dark