The Heaven in My Mind

Ever-present when I close my eyes,
the Palace of Ebony... come to claim me.
Shorn of light and life, I approach the gate.
No more doubts of wondering if I've
run out of time,
if I came to late.
An unseen hand rises
(unbidden)
from my body to rap upon
the door
I know is there.
If I open my eyes I will see
my hand reaching nothing but air.
Gone are the words of comfort in grief.
The veil has been lifted.
I am on the other side.
I am beyond my own reach.

Time runs rampant
I am old, young, and old again.
Smooth tight skin then a beard
blowing in the wind.
The Palace is this and more.
But arriving is not surviving,
and if I'm here there must be others.
Must be others who have
shut their sight against a world so blind.
They have already begun to climb
the steps under a moonless, starless
night of black.
I am resolved to stand firm then feel
myself moving toward the high walls.
I smile as the cracks of light appear
on the horizon, in the corner of my eyes
and I wonder when
I will come back.

11.14.1996

Note on lineation: This poem is to be centered on the page to be read effectively.