I'll Tell You How the Sun Rose
I'll tell you how the sun rose –
It could have started like any other day. It could have been an ordinary girl. It could have been a love story, but it wasn't.
A ribbon at a time.
A girl walked in the shadows down an alley way, the darkness clung to her. She walked head held high through the mire. A cesspool of darkened humanity at her feet. It was hard. They clawed at her, tugging, scratching, dragging her to their level. She did not stumble.
The steeples swam in amethyst,
The darkness lightened to gray. She could see. The shadows remained. The lighter shadows danced around her as the darkness faded behind her but remand at her heels. The lighter shadows swirled around her head. Laughing, taunting, suffocating her with a sweet but bitter truth. Reminding her of the darkness that remained at her feet ready to catch her. She trips, they swarm.
The news like squirrels ran.
The shadows at her head grew louder, and louder. The faster they turn, the harder their jabs, the harsher their voices. Sweet, and seductive voices. Joyous and vicious. She runs to escape them, but they say it's too late.
The hills untied their bonnets,
It gets lighter. She turns a corner and she's almost free. But the shadows say, "Nay foolish girl."
The bobolinks begun.
A new shadow swirled. Lighter than the others but heavier than all the others, she slows. Their voices are of those she knows. Their voices cut deep. Familiar, and comforting she listens and believes the words spoken. The girl slows. The shadows swirl. All three, bearing down on her. She stops. The tears fall. She can't stop.
"Why can't I move on?" she cries.
"Because you know us to be true. We're the only ones who understand you. We will help you."
The shadows morph into the shape of a man she knew. A man she knew very well.
"Come, my love. I can help you. There's nothing to fear. Come with me."
She backed away from him whispering over and over.
"No. No."
Running from him she looked back.
Then I said to myself,
Tears fell as she ran from him and she whispered.
"I'm sorry."
"That must have been the sun"
The shadows were louder. She couldn't stop crying. It was too hard.
But how he set, I know not
They never met again but a far off she could hear him and a woman laughing as a child called to them.
"Mama, Papa! Look at me!"
As she heard this she cried and all she could think was,
"that could have been me."
There seemed a purple stile
It was getting darker as she thought this
That little yellow boys and girls,
She didn't see the cliff the shadows had herded her into.
were climbing all the while
As she fell she cried out.
"I'm sorry I could never be what you wanted me to be. I'm sorry I couldn't live in your roses and rainbows world."
Till when they reached the other side,
As she fell she felt someone hug her. Their arms were so warm that she couldn't help but cry when the hug was gone.
A dominion in grey
She was alone, and she saw only then that there was a child.
The young girl was alone. She had black hair and wore a white dress, but she looked like an average child except for her beautiful face. The child held her hand out to the older girl.
Put gently up the evening bars,
As she took the child's hand the voices stopped, they had vanished.
And led the flock away
The child led the girl to a bright light. The light was comforting, a bright light that cast away her shadows. The child gave the girl a crown and with a wave of her hand her clothes became royal robes. When the robes touched her skin, the girl cried out and ran to the man on the throne. Standing he took her into his arms and held her as she cried. Her tears soaked his clothes, but he pulled her tighter as she poured all her pain out to him. As he wiped away her tears she whispered.
"I'm home. I'm home"