Phoenix Poem by Barry Middleton

I would live again
a dusting of ash
and you with me
in a new today

how many times does the Phoenix rise
like a burnished sunrise from the sea
red eyed lavender and purple plumage

the salt white sands of home are skeletal
the Phoenix glares down from the palms
as if it could resist one more time at life

I would live again
a dusting of ash
and you with me
in a new tomorrow

at evening when the sun breaks through
the gray clouds we thought were death
lay claim to ancient resurrection myths

south in the shadowed primordial lands
a whispered chant still lingers in a mist
like a stirring of wings from a dusty nest

I would live again
a dusting of ash
and you with me
in a new forever