Oblivion

One from the back catalogue, from 31st October 2006. A meditation on death

Oblivion

We will all die, as water spilled
On the ground. Our end fulfilled
In the deepest sleep, in the dark:
No morning, no sound of the lark,
In that land of silence. In a grave
All are equal, the weak and brave,
Those poor and rich, together they
Go forth into darkness, and no day
Dawns there, the world of the dead;
Even the king will lie on a sickbed,
And die one day, and know nothing;
It is the land of silence, none to sing,
The land of dust, an empty sound,
Women without children, dry ground
That needs rain, and a fire that burns
Out of control: ashes placed in urns;
The eternal ruins of ancient times,
Those forgotten, as we hear chimes
At midnight, the company of dead,
Of all now spoken, now is unsaid,
Until the last word. A word goes
Out, healing the sick, all the woes
Of the world, all injustice taken,
And death destroyed, and then
All will be changed, made new:
Morning dawns again, fresh dew,
And the sun rising as never before,
Shows a new world, an open door;
Then the mists are melting away,
With birdsong breaks a new day.