Flickering Flame

In the twilight of summer, you shook like a leaf And blew to the ground in a pile at my feet I picked you up, we fell into place On the park bench in silence, we spoke with no words You held me like water, to placate your thirst Your lifeboat, your anchor, your perfect mistake The white coat of winter, you wore like a veil Thin as a whisper, but sharp as a nail The wind on the river is calling your name, with a voice so tame Be my light, my flickering flame In the bell tower basement, beneath the cold world The feelings you'd bunched up so gently unfurled You held me close, I tried to hold on The next cloudy morning, you woke in my arms I made you some coffee, you showed me your scars And I knew, one day, that I'd be your next The stray light was running, you touched me and said "As young as I was, I felt older back then" Two parallel lines on an infinite plane, trying to cross in vain Be my light, my flickering flame The cascades are thawing, and flowing again The ice that was frozen is slowly beginning To move down the river, as it had to be There's a lake in the country, where dreams go to die It's flooding the banks where it once had been dry The petrified spirits are finally free No flame is eternal, it just takes a drip No life is forever, it's all just a blip The ashes were carried on down to the drain by the callous rain Say goodnight, my flickering flame