As I huddled near a candle to try to capture its lost warmth
My room it seemed to grow much smaller, yet the ceiling grew much taller
And all the heat was lost to my huddled body on the floor
In my twilight's mind of waking, soon I found myself forsaking
Everyone and everything that left me huddled on the floor
As the fog was shrilly sleeking, and my room was slowly leaking
Then I felt again the warmth from just beyond my oaken door
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Still half asleep and half awake, I took to choosing dreams to take
Leaving half a blind eye open to the light beyond the door
And then with my vision blurring, while my thoughts and mind were slurring
I nodded down my head to dreams I've never seen before
Half in waking, half in dreaming, my blinded eyes beheld a demon
And it brought me to a start from my spot upon the floor
In blackened robe and bearing scythe, I scarcely could believe my eyes
For death stood before me and blocked my passage to the door
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Unafraid, I know not why, it seemed so certain I would die
As the spectre stood before me, his hallowed hollow eyes burnt me to the core
In his blackened shroud of death, his fleshless palm caressed my neck
And sent shivers up my spine like I've never felt before
Still huddled down but wide awake, my thoughtless mind about to break
As I watched the candle dance enchantingly on the floor
Though I knew not what to say, hardly could I turn away
From the light, or the spectre, or the warmth from just beyond my oaken door
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The spectre stood there silently, with eyeless sockets watching me
Yet, he spoke not a word, only blocked my passage to the door
My mind becoming more aware, I still knew not why he was there
Until at last I asked "What hath thee come to call me for?"
"I come here for it seems that you must have called for me
With your frozen body lying there upon the floor
It seems to me it's your request to take your heart from out your chest
Lest you would go to feel the warmth from just beyond your oaken door"
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"Then tell me why that I would choose, from this flame I have to use
To go to feel the so-called warmth from just beyond that oaken door
For this flame is all I know, and the warmth is mine alone
And beyond that oaken door lie things I do not know"
As a frozen man, I'd think you'd wish for nothing more
Why do you sit here all alone, huddled on these frozen stones
Your only warmth a single candle on the floor?"
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"The way I see it, in my eyes, the single candle holds my life
Not the light or warmth from just beyond that oaken door
If frost should form upon my hands I could burn my candle at both ends
And thereby I could double the flame and heat and warmth
But, if that I choose to try, I'd have twice the heat for half the time
After which I'd truly freeze upon the floor
And though I do not know just why, I'm sure that I don't want to die
So I will huddle near this candle to try to capture its lost warmth"
"Perhaps you're right, my foolish friend, perhaps your life tonight shan't end
From the freezing cold and frozen stones upon the floor
But, with just that single candle light, on this darkest, coldest night
How could thee turn away the thousand lights beyond that oaken door?"
"The answer seems so simple, friend, one thousand flames, two-thousand ends
Perhaps they do put out two-thousand times the warmth
But as my candle is just half spent, their two-thousand will reach an end
And the light will die from just beyond that oaken door"
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"For even now I see it fade, another candle's burnt away
And the light it grows much fainter just beyond that oaken door
One thousand men, two thousand lights, only one sustained their life
Every other one was wasted to create the sense of their false warmth"
How you huddle so close around so little warmth
On this darkest, coldest night, I'll leave you with your candle light
For I have much to attend to just beyond that oaken door.."
-
Another night the darkness came, it bore a chill without a name
Still I remained as one with the candle on the floor
Several days had come to pass, yet, it seems, the darkness lasts
And I beg for light within, with no light beyond the door
A dready mind it tends to wander, and all these things I tend to ponder
Of hell and hate and life and what's in store
So many times I did regret, this life I live means nothing yet
And purpose for my life is what I'm searching for
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A dozen days and nights I queried, now my mind and soul are weary
Still I find no answers to the questions that I'm searching for
At the height of my frustration, while so deep in cogitation
The spectre appeared again, just beside my oaken door
I am here to speak to you of life and nothing more
So content you seem to be, just writhing in your misery
I come to offer you my help and nothing more"
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"So it seems we meet again, but I'm not sure you are my friend
Do you bring kind words for me, or pain and nothing more
Do you wish to speak these words to me to end my pain and misery
Or do you taunt and tempt and tease and hope for more
Can you aid my ailing soul, reveal these answers so unknown
Or can you only wait for me to die upon the floor
Now, do you wish to aid my life, or do you hope to be the knife
To bind my heart and soul to hell forevermore?!"
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Then the spectre turned quite grim, I seemed to have offended him
As his eyes burnt straight into my heart and bosom's core
While once I felt he wished my death, I only now can feel regret
For it seemed he wished to speak the truth and nothing more
I had no doubt to whom I spoke, for he was death, to pain invoke
Yet, so sincere he seemed, my mind it did implore
And as he turned his head to speak, I felt my will was growing weak
Then the spectre took a seat beside me on the floor
"In your life" he said to me, "You've lived through things that should not be
A thousand raging plagues and the pains beyond the door
I see a man without respite, I see now that your heart has died
And yet you choose to lie alone upon the floor
I've seen men with twice your strength, with a noose, from rafters hang
Choosing death over life and a pain they can't endure
Your will has made a mark on me, your life is one I wish to see
Please tell what you see within, what dreams you may adjure"
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"If just one wish I had to make, a single wish for dreaming's sake
To answer just a single question, one and nothing more
Perhaps I'd wish for earthly things, wealth beyond my wildest dreams
A gilded gown, a ruby crown, a king forevermore
Perhaps I'd wish to change my fate, to know my death and change its date
To be immortal, omnipotent, like the lord
To know the end to every day, to never have to be afraid
To know of each disease, and for each to have the cure"
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"Or perhaps I'd wish for fame, for all the world to know my name
To be idolized by all, be they rich or poor
To live my life in luxury, in a mansion by the sea
To live beneath the sun and bask in all its warmth
Yet, each mistake would bear my name, a single slip, a public shame
No time to bask alone in all the warmth
So I would wish no earthly thing, I need not live my golden dream
I would ask but a single question, frozen here upon the floor"
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"If one dream I wished came true, while I'm sitting here with you
A single wish to grand upon this floor
Tell me now about my fear, the one which brings such bitter tears
Will I ever lose my fear of life beyond that oaken door?
For my candle burned so bright, brighter than their thousand lights
The ones that burnt away just beyone that oaken door
Yet the light, it seems so cold, while my body grows so old
Is it true that I shall die alone, frozen here upon the floor?"
"So sincere you seem to be, in ending all this misery
To overcome your fear of what lies beyond the door
But I can't tell you of your fate, for your life's not written yet
Only you can face your fear of life beyond that oaken door
Nothing more or less I know, for your fate is yours alone
To weigh and judge your fear, and this pain you can't endure
But, you're not chained to this room, lest you make it be your tomb
And never take a step beyond the oaken door"
-
"You speak in words I understand, yet I still can't comprehend
Why do you choose to sit with me upon the floor
If you do not know my fate, if my death has no date
Still you'd speak to me for hours about the oaken door
So what purpose does it serve, prodding at my fraying nerves
Tempting me with death, as you try to do, I'm sure
Do you enjoy to see my pain, when the fear it comes again
Do you enjoy to see me writhing here upon the floor?"
"Without an answer I shall go, I'll leave you once again alone
To ponder all the things beyond the oaken door
I will say this, hear me now, the frozen stone seems worse somehow
Than to take my hand in warm embrace forevermore
Nothing there would be the same, and I can't swear there is no pain
But, I can say you wouldn't fear the oaken door
I'll come to visit once again, when you blow out your single flame
I shall appear once again beside your oaken door"
-
Then the spectre left me be, writhing deep in misery
His promised salvation echoes through the stone cold floor
His tempting words to test my will, the air a permeating chill
And the candle, a dancing flame I so adore
His words they played within my mind, blow out the flame to solace find
To finally end my fear of what lies beyond the door
Far too weak to struggle on, knowing now, my will is gone
And I can't face my fear of life beyond the door
-
Awaiting death, I sat alone, a frozen man on frozen stones
The single candle a fading hope, dead upon the floor
An icy chill, the chill of death, took from me my gasping breaths
I dreamed and wished and hoped I'd breathe no more
Yet the chill passed, and in its wake, it left the being I forsake
The spectre, once again, beside my oaken door
His stoic face looked ghastly grim, something was upsetting him
Something, it seemed, of the candle, stones, and door
-
No light broke his darkened stare, no sound broke the silent air
Until he turned to lean his scythe upon the door
He held his hand up in the air, and as he stood with it there
Suddenly, from his hand, a greenish flame burst forth
My candle roared, again, to life, I stared and him and wondered why
Why the candle burnt again upon the floor
Still no sound touched my ears, to help to ease my growing fears
Of why the spectre gave me back my candle's warmth
-
He held his robe out, flowing free, and took a seat down next to me
He motioned me to hold my hands within the warmth
The candle's flame brought hot relief, from the cold, but not the grief
Nor a mind wondering at the candle's source
If an answer, the spectre had, he showed it not, but took my hands
And held them where the flame burned me intensely with its warmth
He saw my pain, but did not stop, he held them still, the flame was hot
And from my throat a scream bellowed forth
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Nor of pain and a heat you can't endure
I tell you this that you might know One choice only, for your soul
Which would hurt you more? The heat, or stone cold floor?">
Alone and cold, trapped behind the oaken door
If his words were meant to scare, it did not work, I do not care
I can't live alone, frozen on the floor
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And as I pen these final lines, I know now, it is my time
And my single tear puts out the candle on the floor
I dream not of pearly gates, for I know it's not my fate
To live an immortal life with god forevermore
But, finally now to be peace, the misery to finally cease
Yet, perhaps, to burn in hell forevermore
If a fiery pit my fate should be, still it ends the misery
And all the hate and pain from beyond that Oaken door...
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