De-Cowled – A Poem

During the night

I dream of myself.

I am wearing a cowl

that covers my face.

I am in a room

made entirely of stone.

There are candles that

flicker with light and shadow.

A woman approaches me

with her hands held out.

“I knew you would come to see me”

She says. Her eyes are a deep violet,

her smile warm. She radiates light.

“How did you know I would be here?”

I ask her. Though I have never been here

and do not know the woman,

I don’t feel any fear. Only a sense of calm.

“I always know when those seeking answers will arrive.”

She shrugs.

“It is the way.”

She sits and I do the same,

sitting across from her.

She takes my hands in hers

and I experience only a warmth

that drives away the chill

of the stone room.

“You wish to know if you are on the right path?”

“Yes.”

I whisper.

“How did you know?”

“You have an inquisitive spirit. It is written on your face.”

I say nothing, the truth of her words

ringing inside of me, as if my body

is agreeing to her words with

every fibre of its being.

“You are on the right path, but you must look where you are going.”

She squeezes my hands.

“To do that, you must see.”

She reaches up and pulls the cowl

down off my head.

The room we are in is transformed

from cold hard stone to a field of grass.

Trees and blue sky surround us.

I wonder if it was there all along.

“Do not be afraid of seeing, of taking hold of what you want.”

She begins to fade, her violet eyes

becoming a misty gray.

“You must remain true to yourself.”

Bright sun fills the grass covered room,

more brilliant than the sun.

My eyes open in the darkness

but a shadow of the bright light remains,

infusing everything I see.