The Castle

In an oasis of solitude stands a castle,
whose spires of stone meet rays of light.
Where echoes of song and muffled voices,
bounce and dance to the listener's delight.

Where the water shimmers in the distance below,
and the trees share the midday sun.
Casting shadows in all directions they grow...
all directions -- that is -- but one.

In a well-lit corner just beyond the mortar,
a page turner quietly stays. 
And lifting her head for only a moment,
she surrenders a blissful gaze.

Silent and still, on the hill she basks,
in light free of passers by.
and losing herself, she releases her guard.
Exhaling a meaningful sigh...

For there are no vested interests waiting to pry,
no opinions on right and wrong.
No extra emotional baggage this time,
just a small, red carry on...

Papers bound and filled with prose,
like lyrics to the cellist's song.
It is but a moment of static perfection,
among a lifetime of moving on.

For time among others leads to vulnerability.
But the effect can be robbed with perpetual mobility.
And she, a master thief and witness to so much.
Has endured...a survivor among mortals.

A fearless warrior longing for the front,
brave and strong while danger lurks.
And in its absence, for danger shall she search...
the opposing darkness:  her guiding light.

It is a purpose-driven contradiction,
that stokes her inner flame.
And while others may claim it all to be fiction,
it is by her design that they are rendered blind.

But the castle has seen past the warrior's bruises,
just as I have seen joy in her eyes.
And no one so wondrous should feel so alone,
among the shimmering waters and spires of stone.