I had a dream the other night,
I wandered under the moon,
Through a vast and golden desert,
Filled with many a rolling dune.

As I wandered amongst the dunes
Of this strangely silent desert,
I came upon the view
Of an all too familiar cave

And there she stood awaiting me,
With a call and a beckon,
"Lay down your staff, come inside."
I didn't hesitate a second.

I set aside my crooked staff,
And faced her eye-to-eye,
She embraced me like a lover,
With a heavy, heartfelt sigh.

She turned, and I followed her,
I sat down by her fire,
The stew was at a simmer,
As the wind howled outside.

As I ate the stew, I pondered
On how I'd describe the taste,
A strange mixture of rhythm and music,
I never left a drop to waste.

I looked up for just a moment from my meal of melody,
And my eyes met those familiar eyes of black and emerald green.
And in that moment, I wondered
What she remembered, what she had seen.

And as she held my gaze,
And as I held hers, too,
We knew that as always, once again,
I'd have to be leaving soon.

I rose from my seat as I finished my meal,
And she as she finished with hers,
She and I knew of the coming ordeal,
Her eyes faded to silver.

A howling whirlwind took her place,
Begging me not to go,
And even without the raging gusts,
I would have been tempted to do so.

But as I looked out to the stars in the sky,
To the moon and the roiling dunes,
I reminded myself of what lies beyond,
And of all of the worlds I knew.

She clawed at me, so desperately,
Leaving a mark on my arm,
Still I thought, there were worse ways
Of bringing a man to harm.

I grabbed my staff, all crooked,
And I strode out of the cave,
I turned and saw her standing there,
Forever to remain.

Not a breeze would stir the desert now,
Not a shift in the ongoing dunes,
And her call rang out as I saw her tears,
That shone by the light of the moon.

"I do all this for you!" She cried,
"To keep you safe, don't you see?"
I sometimes wonder if that is a lie,
But what if the wrong one is me?

"We both know I'll be back", I said,
"When once more breaks my heart."
She smiled, so sadly, through her tears.
"You'll be welcome with open arms."

"We both know I'll be back." I thought,
And I turned, again waving goodbye.
I set off across the golden desert,
As the sun rose into the sky.

I know I'll be back, one day, when my heart
Is shattered again to smithereens,
Back to my home, the cave of Dark,
The woman with eyes of black and green.

But what of the others? My family? My friends?
Why do they go to the place I call home?
Is this just a cycle that never ends,
Or a journey we're all left to roam?