Dawn & Dusk

The words are snatched
Before they reach the paper
Ideas snuffed out
Fading into vapour

Visions in my mind
Remain trapped inside
For a moment I see wonders
Then suddenly I am blind

My sight spanned centuries
To times unseen
But now the memories melt away
Like a half-remembered dream

The words dissolve
Before they can be set in stone
I finish my masterpiece
Before I realise it is gone

I write them in a new language
That I suddenly forget
No matter where I search
I can find no similar text

This agony, this torture
Is known only to me
I can lament all I want
But no one else would believe

So I store up the words
In a place deep inside
Let the ideas marinate
In the frothing cauldron of my mind

I add a little seasoning
I add a little salt
I mix in some new characters
Then some mysteries to thicken the plot

Like jewels underground
The stories crystalise within me
Forming deep vaults of treasure
Just waiting to be free

And so as this mist
Clears from my mind
My frail hands are now able
To dig into this mine