Hemlocked Heart

What I saw when all was dark
Under the moonless stars,
Unfurled sails cross clear skies
And steeled my grounded heart.

I lost the moment when time shed
All its frog skin spots,
Returned its gaze back upon me
And shouted in the dark.

“I will not win this any way
I will not cross the fog”,
That creeps into this crystal night
A bandit with false rot.

And when the ship is set adrift
Above my small abode
I will not know the phrase to say
To reach the silver throne.

I will stumble in, dismayed and great
To test the edge of night
To join the silent revelry
Or face the call I might.

That echoes through me
Like a drum, set fire to my veins
“The time has come, the hour close,
Soon these nights will change”.