Dedicated to my Friend

I hear she is so radiant and magnificent that,
like the face of the Sun,
you dare not look at her
for the brilliance with which she shines.

I have not seen her,
but in my dreams comes the vibrant image
of love and warmth nonetheless.

I awaken bathed in a sheen of sweat,
and my eyes burn from
the memory of her dazzling light.

She has the strength of a tender vine
coiling upward around the dying oak
anchoring in place, for the last moments,
something that was once beautiful and majestic.

That is me – once beautiful and majestic
dying beneath her grace and beauty
as she holds me up to her beaming light.

I cannot – I will not surrender life
beneath her radiant light and gentle touch –
even if only in my dreams.