That Which Is But Cannot Be

It's that right time
You have that feeling
And the last drop of liquor has been sipped
And the last cigarette has been stubbed out mashed and blackened
bent and dead
A cold spark fading slowly
inexorably
into the night
another life fading
And that song comes on
You know the one
you've heard it a million times before
but it works every time
if your ears hear your heart:
A rhythm pulsing just beneath
a guitar riff that calls
with a peal of emotion
that you know is a part
of what you have always felt
but can not explain
not even to yourself
And suddenly the faces come
swimming up out of the darkness
to warm your soul with all that is good
and right
and wonderful
about this
the thing called life
And it is so delicate
so fragile, fleeting, and sad
that you want to cry
the hot tears of a happiness
known only to you
But they won't come
They never come
In their stead
your heart serves up
only a sense of loss
and meaninglessness
that explains exactly
why

cae 2-28-04