Ruby

I still remember that night long ago,

A Ruby came to me in my sleep- When,

I was closer to death than life- As though

It represented my odd heart back then.

I woke up to make sure it's still beating,

Terrified that it had fully hardened,

That the scarlet of my blood is fleeting,

Then none of my sins would ever be pardoned.

For my hands are cold and my feet are cold,

And like the Jewel everything did shine,

They had no life of their own, though they're old

Their shallow passions dare not cross a line.

With a jacket to shield my solid heart,

It's as good a night for a stroll as any,

I stop at the bridge, the river takes part,

musing my monochromatic desires many.

Desires might have once given me my blood,

But now it has also given me disease,

No more do I let the Ebbs of the flood

Wash over my heart simply as they please.

Foot by foot I climbed the rusty railing,

If floods won't come then to them I shall go,

I'll exchange drowning for my safe sailing,

If it will warm me with the overflow.

The cold of the water pierces my skin,

Unable to reach my precious jewel,

My lungs fill with water as I breathe in,

I hope this torment means that all is well.

My breath seizes first and then my senses,

One by one replaced by numbing pleasure,

As death's grip around my neck tenses,

And it's time to reveal my hidden treasure.

The Ruby rays invade the river's dark,

A scarlet Sun from a distant universe,

I sink deeper it lessens not the spark,

Death was the only way to break my curse.

From that night on, the Ruby's pulsating

Whenever it visits in my sleep,

It speaks to me in colors competing,

And the river is my secret to keep.