Bedtime

I came here tonight to watch the Malverns sleep
Bedded down on long, still warm grass I gazed
Across the vale as cool silken sheets of fog were
Drawn over her darkening shoulders
And a simmering crown of fire extinguished itself
On the curve of that majestic frame

The contour of evening descended meticulously
Supplanting the final flickers of flame and her
Cicada eyes twinkled within her ghostly mantle
Tired, they fought the inevitable until
All was grey; all was silent

She slept undisturbed and content within the
Embrace of a tolerant universe
And I resisted the need to touch her
One last time
Until I leave the valley and sleep with her once more