Of Earth and Elfland

I cannot always live in the world dreary and gray,
But neither can I live always in the world of wildfire
That burns through the heart and sweeps me away
To heights where I never dreamed I might aspire.

There are obligations that I am bound to here, duties,
And things that I must do for the sake of others.
But my tasks in Elfland are for Elfland's beauties,
And a loveliness so thick that it nearly smothers.

Here I learn the many meanings of black and white,
And I learn to see the world in shades of gray.
There I learn to see in greens that are almost too bright,
Red harsh as rape, and purples that end the day.

Here I am calm, and cheerful, and do as I am told,
And there is many a concept with which I toy.
There I plunge through freezing fire and burning cold,
And weep with gentle tears and fierce, savage joy.

There is much that I can learn in the world of my birth,
But with another world always and ever to hand
I know that I cannot always walk upon Earth,
Any more than I can always wander within Elfland.

Both are my homes, and neither; the clay in my blood
Means that sometimes I fear the wonder of an elf.
But at the same time, scorn moves through in a flood,
For the earth where I forsake a part of my brighter self.