Rite of passage

Two figures strode together

A small child and a man

With thoughtful, steady steps

They journeyed hand in hand

The landscape embraced the two

And the shadows that stretched ahead

Their silhouettes converging

Upon the path where they were led

They trod through fanciful woods

Wafting music, colors of every shade

Yet with every stride they took

All of these began to fade

They gazed on their surroundings

And talked in hushed tones

With sudden springs of laughter

Interspersed within their prose

I was carried along behind them

By a wind of gentle kind

That veiled me to observe

The travelers speak their mind

"We're almost there", one voice said

"I can feel it in the wind!"

"Where are we going?", replied the other

"Where does this pathway end?"

The first sang, "You'll see for yourself!"

"You'll find out soon enough!"

After the echo of these chuckled words

Came a deep and reverent hush

The travelers turned 'round a bend

And stood a moment still

They stared, pointed, shared a glance

And approached a rising hill

At its base the child turned

And raised his hands up to the man

Who seated the boy upon his shoulders

And the upward climb began

Their steps fell heavy upon the slope

A grassy distance to the peak

And halfway to the top

One of them began to speak

One voice said, "I've always loved it here!"

"Yet why does it now fade?

For this is a different kind of night

Than what usually precedes the day"

To this there was no reply

And they climbed on in quiet thought

The boy squeezed round the man's neck

Then both turned their heads aloft

Diamond stars glinted above

And grew steadily in their size

Within them shone colored things

That at last were clarified

The sky danced with these colored vessels

That shone with people and places

Living picture frames that gathered in number

Until they filled the heavenly spaces

The travelers pointed and laughed

And I joined in joyful revelry

For every star that shone in the sky

Was, to me, a distant memory

Some of the faces smiled and cried

While I did just the same

For I felt all that which was forgotten

For what remembrance could not tame

The celestial dance continued

As we again turned to the road

For where our path ended

Stood a mystery to behold

A door fixed in place

With no wall to lead through

Nothing behind could be observed

Save an expanse of darkened hue

The moving lights glittered

In cascades across the door

The man lifted the boy

And on his feet he stood once more

The voices, breathless, now began

To speak in softer ways

The man kneeling by the boy

The door, the master of their gaze

"Do you know now where we are?

Where the wind has brought us to?

This is where the journey continues

There is so much ahead for you!"

The second voice halted

And struggled with it's speech,

"I am afraid I do not know

What am I here to meet?"

Then came the reply, "You are afraid

But you now well know,

The only one who can go through this door

Is you and you alone!"

"You must not stay

For you are only passing through

But the memories that dance above

You can take from here with you"

With this the stars began to shrink

And streak away from their place

With long-tailed flight through the door

The frame with their light enlaced

"You are not unprepared

For the road that lies beyond

For the wind that I have followed

Will tell you what path to tread upon"

"I have so often dreamed of what you will be

Beyond these borders here

And now that is for you to know

But not for you to fear"

The second voice gave reply,

"Now I understand

That this door is for me

To pass through without you in hand"

"But one more thing before I do

Embrace me before we part

For of all the memories I take with me

You will stay forever in my heart"

The first voice spoke again

In a way curious to the listener

For with every passing word

It slowly softened to a whisper

"In a moment you will see me no more

But this, of course I will do

For no matter how distant time parts us,

I will always love you"

Then the boy reached with eager hands

As the man picked him up again

They twirled 'round in the embrace

Known only by the greatest of friends

The air chorused with laughter

A pure and child-like sound

Then the twirling figure slowly stilled

And the man stood alone upon the ground

The light swelled around the door

The gentle wind grew fierce

The stoic door swung open

And all darkness around was pierced

The light spilled forth

And shone upon the man in his place

As he looked up and turned towards the door

Upon him I saw my face

With every step he took

I felt myself do the same

Until I passed from the top of the hill

Through the shimmering door frame

_____

I woke to the sound of the wind in the leaves

As they played upon the hill

And I heard the sound of the child's laughter

Indeed, I hear him still