Caroline

by Columbine

Come sit beside me, Caroline, the tea is fresh and steaming
The snow falls thick and soundless, and the time is ripe for dreaming
Our friends lie in the graveyard where we played when we were young
And their names now fall abashèd from an older, wiser tongue

We swore none would outlast us, and the years have proved us right
Though none remain to hear our boast but dear bemusèd Night
As I clip my brambled roses and you watch your songbirds fly
For we have seen such sights as few have eyes for, you and I

And had I yet a copper, or you your glossy hair
Perhaps we'd tread the hidden road to seek the goblins' fair
But the goblins have been scattered, gold dust poisoning their track
And no chant nor any talisman could bring our fellows back

So walk with me now, Caroline, among the silent stones
So gracious and respectful o'er these world-forsaken bones
We'll lift a glass to those whose memory finds you singing still
For you and I have lived such times as few yet have, or will

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