Masquerade Poem by Jane Tomlin

Out of the dark void I have come,
Into a land of light I yield,
Across the Great Plains I have strode,
Upon the back of a desert camel I have rode,
Under the stars I have deeply slumbered,
Beneath a waterfall I have cleansed,
Across the mighty oceans I have sailed,
Over the Great Wall I have scaled,
In the morn a setting sun I have watched,
In the dark a lunar eclipse I have seen,
Into this life I have entered,
Unto the ending of the world I will stay,
By your side I will stand,
With my heart grasped in your hand,
One soul afraid of dying,
In the shadows, hears it crying,
Through faded cloud and bitter wind,
Dusky shadow and paths entwined,
In my sleep I have dreamt,
Too long this evil I have kept,
Locked within this mind of faithful thought,
Released in battle these hands have fought,
For future choice to save beauty’s endurance,
With no angels, take an eternal absence,
Rocky peak become our home,
To once again watch and roam,
Twilight hour rest your head still longing,
In the morn, rise again but never waking,
Across the mighty universe, I wait by myself,
For terra firma to destroy itself,
In cloudy dust and choking flame,
The shattered fragments we shall reclaim.