Ashes
C Em
With the ashes yet warm in the hearth-place before her
Am F
She sits and she dreams of a fire long gone
C Em
Shawl grey as the streaks that now mar her long tresses
Am F
And her mouth set as grim as a funeral dawn
G Am C F
Calls his name in the last of the evening light
G Am C G
Whispered prayer to be carried to him by the night
C G
Every time you dream let me be your nightmare
Am F
May your sword-arm be weak and your enemy strong
C G Em F
And may you know no peace 'til you fall to your knees
C Am G C
And beg me to forgive you for doing me wrong
With a twist of a rag she affixes a scarf
To the crude fashioned doll made of cotton and twine
There she pauses so briefly remembering his voice
And the way her heart would lurch whenever he smiled
Holds tears back as she calls the doll by his name
Feels no joy as the scarf is caught by the flame
Every time you dream let me be your nightmare
May your sword-arm be weak and your enemy strong
And may you know no peace 'til you fall to your knees
And beg me to forgive you for doing me wrong
As the last ember dies and she rises to leave
Her sleeve catches an ornament long overlooked
So it falls to the ground and it shatters in pieces
Leaving a faded parchment lying in the dust
Frightened now she lifts it from the shards
Not breathing she reads his decade old words
Dearest I write hoping you'll never read this
But if I don't return I need you to be strong
For there's no force but death that could keep me from your side
And if I must die I must know you'll carry on
In a room filled with shadow and echoes of loneliness
There sits a woman with parchment in hand
And what her eyes see lies not in this small room
Nor does what her ears hear persist in this land
One tear drop rolls down her cheek
None to hear the pain she must now speak
You left me your dream and I made it a nightmare
And you said to go on but I amn't that strong
For I've wasted these years on curses and tears
I've given up too much to learn that I'm wrong
I have wasted these years on curses and tears
Wait for me love, I'll be there before long.
All Works are © Original Author
(OC Author - Fergal O'Brien)