Stared down at a sight to see,
Did the reaper.
A little sparrow,
With mangled feathers,
And broken wings,
Shivering in a heap on the floor.
So said the reaper,
“why, sweet sparrow!
How hath lightening struck you in your pretty sky?!”
So quivered the sparrow,
With a mournful cry,
“why, no sir,
it was not MY pretty sky.”
So confused was the reaper,
And he held his head low,
“pray tell, pretty sparrow,
to who’s sky did you go?”
and gasped the sparrow,
with tears in her eyes,
“I flew with a falcon,
it was his dreary sky.”
So drew in a breath,
Did the angering reaper,
And he shook his head slowly,
To heaven’s gate keeper.
“sparrow, why would you,
when your mate flies with eagles,
Stand with a falcon,
Knowing you're weaker?”
and sighed said sparrow,
with a look of true sorrow,
“if I could change how I loved,
I’d be sure to see that morrow,
And my eagle was brave,
He was good and was kind,
And yes I will love him,
Till the end of my life.”
Furrowed a brow did the reaper,
As he thought on these things,
“why then, my sparrow?”
“ne’er once did he sing!
And my heart did object
To a world without laughter,
But my word was at stake,
I was his ever after!”
Shook his head did the reaper,
And he bellowed aloud,
“What?! Music!?
Have you a right to be so proud?
What is music or laughter,
For safety or forever,
He gave you the promise,
Of a life that was better,
Than thunder and lightening,
And dark dreary clouds,
How dare you to flee that,
This will not be allowed!”
And drew in weak breath,
Did the faltering lass,
“I will face the consequence,
for all that has passed,
but reaper, you’re wrong,
if you think I’ll regret,
a single moment in that sky,
I am better for it yet…”
Shook his head did the reaper,
And turned away his angry face,
“regret it you will,
you will soon learn your place.
For sparrow, you’re a sinner,
And it pains me to say,
That the skies you so love,
Will be taken away,
You will ne’er fly again…”
And looked up in anguish,
Did the tattered young bird,
Shook her weary head,
And whispered tired words,
“Fly, sir?
Would you wish to fly, reaper,
Through dark empty skies,
With no meaning or freedom,
Just a bitter good-bye,
Through the broken promise
Of ‘I’ll see you again’,
The loss of a lover,
Fragile trust, and my friend?
When your whole world collapses,
In the sound of a heartbeat,
Unspoken words,
Regret and misery,
When the air that surrounds you,
Is ripped from your lungs,
Because all you denied,
You later learned you loved?
When you lived in a moment,
To keep yourself alive,
Then failed and found,
That moment was your life?
FLY, sir?
How shall I fly without my wings?”
So sigh did the reaper,
And thought on it more,
“then your eagle shall hate you,
and know you’re a whore!
And ne’er again will he smile,
When you’re at his side,
You will not know or his words,
You’ll have no chance for good-bye!”
And shook a weary head,
Did the helpless soul,
As the seconds passed,
And she slowly let go,
“My eagle, sir?
Would you wish to lay eyes,
On the face you betrayed,
See the tears that it cried,
And know you were to blame?
When you made a promise,
And swore to stay true,
And he made one right back,
And waited for you,
And you left him behind,
In your stubborn haste,
When you realized sadly,
You’d made a mistake,
That ne’er could you sleep,
In his frail wings,
When the trust wasn’t there,
And he wouldn’t sing,
So went you to find,
A moment of peace,
Hoping to laugh,
Hoping to sleep,
And found instead,
What you wanted more,
Was stronger and braver,
But made you a whore,
And so chose you to leave,
A life of for sure,
To fly through the lightening,
And alone brave his storm,
My eagle, sir?
Pray…tell him I would I could take back my word…
But I am not his…
Now or ever before…”
So frown did the reaper,
Yet chose his words well,
“then I fear, pretty sparrow,
I must keep you in hell..”
So look up did the sparrow,
With broken wings and grey eyes,
And crimson blood tears,
That ne’er would dry,
Looking straight in the face of the reaper.
So spoke she such words,
That tore his own heart,
Spoke she of the end,
Spoke she of the start.
“Hell, sir?
My mate was betrayed,
My heart destroyed,
My every breath,
Laboured and void,
And there is my lover!
He flew by as I fell,
He watches coldly now,
As you threaten me with hell,
And ne’er once,
Would he shed a tear,
Would he dare to blink,
If I were in fear,
But there he sits,
To watch me die,
And that alone,
Was worth my life,
For there was once,
Not long ago,
I learned to laugh,
Then let him go,
He sang a song,
In his dark skies,
That lit a fire,
In his tainted eyes,
And with him I slept,
And woke content,
So I won’t fear now,
I will not repent,
Though I am a sinner,
Of that I agree,
He found my favorite,
Part of me,
The part that dared,
To fly in rain,
Love a sinner,
And bare the pain,
Of losing him
to my own failure.
So now I say,
Words you know are true,
It will not matter,
What you do,
For he sits there,
Before my eyes,
He’s out of reach,
I’m out of time,
And the worst way,
To miss someone,
Is to look in their eyes,
And hold your tongue.
It’s worse than fire,
Worse than rain,
More than lightening,
Above the pain,
And I beg you,
Send me from him.
I have seen heaven, sir.
I have looked into its eyes,
And held its hand,
And tasted its breath…
And heaven, in his wisdom,
Would not have me.
Hell, sir?
I am there already…”
Turned to leave did the reaper,
As the sparrow lay down dead,
He spared her from the flames of hell,
And took her soul instead,
And the keeper of heaven’s gate,
Looked the falcon in the eye,
“what shall her tombstone say, my lord?”
but silence was his reply,
and so the reaper stopped as well,
He shook his saddened head,
“you know, hell wouldn’t have had her,
Her soul was already dead.
Let the whore have an unmarked grave,
A sinner for all to see,
They’ll not be so quick next time,
To escape their misery.”
So the keeper laid her down,
Under an unmarked stone,
Set up in a hidden,
Muddy little grove,
And the falcon sat in silence,
Ne’er a tear in his eye,
Not a word of regret,
Not a word of good-bye,
But after he flew off,
If to the grave you’d go,
You’d see such ugly letters,
Etched into that stone.
“I’ll only see you in my memories,
but I’ll see you again,
I held my tongue before you,
but I was here until the end...
My love....."
And the reaper smiled silently,
For the price by all was paid,
Laughter over loyalty,
Should ne’er a choice be made,
So to my broken eagle,
May your skies be ever blue,
May you love and live forever,
With loyalty and truth,
And to you, pretty falcon,
Though these words I’ll ne’er say,
If I could do it all again,
I’d do it all the same,
The days that I was happy,
Were worth the price I paid…
Heaven's just a dream, love...
I'm dreaming of your face....