The crimson scar Upon the mauve horizon All that remains Of the passing day The night that came To take its place Brought the chill whisper Of the winter rain The cold upon the skin of earth Shudders the world and veils the sky in manic sorrow The light dies fast in the months of winter And long the nights are beneath the crawling fog Upon the window speckled with raindrops The hand grows cold against the misty glass Beyond the threshold of the warm abode There is but rain and mist and darkness Put out the light and lock the door behind Step into the raging midnight storm And let the rain stream down you face and arms Raise up your gaze towards the unseen stars The secret discourse between the sky and earth Resounds through damp the hills and woods If one was to but listen, soon They would perceive its hidden power The simple speech That is the most profound Of absolutes In universal tongue Malice and beauty Move as one They slash and tear at the tall wet grass Stand in a field and feel it scourge and hiss Hear it howl all around you Cold skin and flailing hair cast The futile droplets into the sea on high Who is to question the tenebrous sky ? A raving madman and a fool The mad abandon of the elementals truly Is clarity among a self-made chaos This night a shameless privy to The secret discourse between the sky and earth And if the hungry flood has not Devoured the home-bound path Carry you a memory Of mist and storm That let up come the break of dawn Carry yourself home to sleep and dream of this.