silence and echoes

prowling those dreary halls
a dark mansion of twisted stone
the silence is overwhelming
nothing moves in the still daylight
except dust, slowly settling...

I crept past the creaking gate,
following your trail of warmth,
but I cannot sense it anymore.

how long have I been here?
the light is slowly fading,
the last moments of the day.

what of the night, then?
what strange things could rise
from these cobwebbed corners?

a sense of urgency...
I need to find you
before the night falls,
before it's too late,
I want to deliver you
from this dark and cold place.

so I call out your name...
the silence shatters loudly
the sound reverberates
from stone to dark stone
repeated in a nightmarish cacophony.

I dare not speak again,
I barely move after the echo,
paralyzed by fear of the strange things,
lurking deep within the silence.
I dare not wake them from slumber.

I creep forward,
how long has it been?
I still cannot find anything.
the sun is already setting...

the spring

a soul drifts on northern winds
suspended in darkness it barely moves
frost crawls along its useless limbs
and what little warmth remaining drains away

yet a voice escapes its dry lips,
movements from an old memory,
an ancient process still active
a whispered prayer for the light.

"oh Sun, endlessly burning,
find and release me.
oh Sun, beloved warmth
free me from the ruthless winter."

a moment and a chance,
a movement into light.
and something stirs, something wakes
in the empty shell of a man.

a spark in his eyes,
words cease, prayer is answered.
and life creeps once more
thorough the waking forest.

warm light seeps through branches,
an ember is lit in the shade
a fire fed from within,
resonating with the radiance.

blood flows faster,
breathing in the fragrant wind
rich with renewed life.

silence is shattered.
words escape his throat,
far louder than prayer.

"oh Sun, endlessly burning
you found me and released me.
oh Sun, beloved warmth
the winter gave way to spring."