One dark night
When the moon hid behind the clouds,
and sleep evaded my grasp-
I rose and walked the land,
Running my hands,
Over the rough bark of my beloved trees,
My soul was restless,
For something was amiss in the forest
I could smell it in the breeze...

Something moved in the land-
And my tread grew wary-
The night was so silent,
As though even the hunters of the forest
Had decided hunger
Would be their game tonight...

Somehow,
I found myself outside my forest,
Out of my boundaries-
And although I couldn't tell,
Exactly where I was,
The unfamiliar stars,
Whispered that I was far from home...

In the dark of night,
Darker shadows moved,
A gathering formed in a murky hollow-
A people,
A tribe encircled a black cloaked figure-

At first I smiled,
For here I thought,
Were the children of man
Playing another one of their foolish games-

But the earth trembled under my feet,
And the trees swayed uneasily in the breeze,
The scent of death filled the air,
Emanating from this being,
Who stood in the center of a circle
With a crudely shaped letter T,
Crossed by wooden staves...

I let my eyes adjust to the eerie light,
And gave this creature full measure-
Tall, he was and broad,
Built like a giant,
From the ancient lands of old,
His muscles rippled and bulged
Under his black satin robe...

He looked like a man,
But he stood like a God-
Proud and Straight,
Radiating raw power,
Dark hair flowed down his back
And over his huge shoulders...

I looked and stared like some ennobled lady
Enraptured by this dark knight-
Then he raised up his great head
And I looked into his eyes-
Saw what every man must see,
Just before he dies-

A face without mercy,
A soul without compassion,
A being of awesome beauty in the body of a man-

I heard the people began to chant,
A low rumbling sound that echoed,
In my ribcage,
Just below my heart...

He spoke then in a voice like thunder
Rolling low against the ground,
And I wondered why the people
Stood so still,
Instead of running for their lives-

For that voice was pain,
And suffering
And loneliness in the dark void...
There was Death in that voice
Echoing off the canyon walls-

He raised his hands to the sky
And lightening hit the ground nearby-
Flames flew from his fingertips,
And crackled in the thick night air...

The people stood and called to him as one-
And he answered with a roar,
That forced them to their knees-
And weep with love for a God,
They could never please...

But his strength and power called to them,
And his dark blood
Stirred some ancient memory in their soul...

But then I saw,
That he was also drawn to them-
To their love and need,
It was like a nectar to him,
And he drank it with great greed-
Swallowing with great gulps
Until he was sated at last,
Only then did he release them
And the tribe fell panting to the ground-
Moaning and weeping in the pleasure
They had given their God-

When they fell as one to the Earth-
He saw me standing in the Shadows,
And his fierce eyes met mine
Though I had never known fear before,
I knew it then,
and I ran-

So much faster than the wind,
My feet barely touching down,
Remembering how the Deadman's eyes
Had looked into my soul-
Had seen the place
I would rather others had never known-
Had whispered in my ear
That he alone could assuage my fears,
And make me real again,
Take me from the shadows,
And bring me into the night
Call me his bride...
No, No No!
can't go for that Ride!

I ran back to my forest,
With a God on my heels-
And as my foot hit sacred ground-
I felt his touch upon my soul,
And I screamed,
For it was so damn cold!

And yet...
It burned me with fire
Leaving a scar that betrayed my base desire-
To be held and captured by this Dark Lord,
Be his bride for eternity...

But I could not be one of many,
It was all or none,
And he could not have just one,
This man with a God's dark power
Needed so much more than I could give!
And maybe another God took pity,
I do not know,
But I was safe-

For he dared not enter this sacred place,
And he raged against his loss
As I wept at what it cost
Me to leave him behind...

But stayed my ground,
Letting my forest protect me
Until he finally realized he was bound
By the laws of the earth to leave me be...

It was then that he dropped to his knee-
Extending one hand to me,
And the look in his eyes made me turn away...

When I finally dared to look again,
He was gone-
Leaving behind the smell
Of cinnamon, August, and fire...

And now on those nights,
When eternity skips a beat-
I stand in the shadows,
And remember the God who wept at my feet.

I am haunted by his eyes
And tormented by the memory,
Of his touch upon my soul,
trembling in fear
That he awaits me still...

Now I am as trapped as he-
For my forest is a cage
From which I will never be free-
A cage whose bars I cling to,
Knowing that no matter what I do
I am doomed-

For I love a Dark and Lonely God
I saw dancing in the night-
And his touch filled my soul,
With a feeling I had never known-
And dare not know again
For fear that I be
As damned as he...