The Inmost Light Itself

And when I saw the little children sing
Their mouths were red and sad
Their lipstick-sealed smiles, and in their minds
They hold and hope, some sign- some hope
The gaudy sequined dragging banner of the inmost light
Around my eyes, the sewers spew and laugh
The fallen flower gazes at me reaped
The crippled cuckoo falls broken wing
And turns around to me and broken beak grins from its head
Thus so, no fear, thus so it has arrived

The inmost light
And if I turn my head for shame
And see my lovers' rivers burst unfolding there
I'll cross my eyes and close my heart
And whisper to her womb
"Great blood, great silence, my mother, the mystery of all
Nothing may grasp thee, no one may grasp thee
Let me hold thee now, oh come, oh come at last
The inmost light"

Oh God, I trail my hands up to my eyes
Up to my eyes, up to my eyes, up to my eyes
And say, if only then my light
And if only, if only, if-
I had not despised
The inmost light
And so I kneel at blue gate, black mouth death
And offer as my feeble explanation
I thought so much was left and so much
Time to praise and call the inmost light

And I suppose, full half and more of these are dreams
Some broken code of morals rising after I had touched
Her very pith and marrow, oh her inmost light

If I could scatter children
If I could scatter children

And while I gaze and count my coins
After your God gold glow
They're dead, the head is dead, and lead
I see and feel the hiding glow blaze behind you
The inmost light
And if your lips are taut
Don't move your teeth to speak
The lines will start to fall
And pull the structure of your world
Then all apart

And thus you see, you'll call the inmost night
It whispered to me and laughed and said (Goodnight, goodnight)
You lied and shamed the inmost light (The inmost light)
And if you recall, I bent yew-like and roared
You did not see the cloudburst wind dead towards you of
The inmost light
Our hands tumble towards the skies
To block our visions of the inmost light
And if I pointless arch
And spit white nothings at the sky

Oh big boys, check it out
Too fucking late
The children move through town
And skip torn skirted and roll the hoop into the arms of

Inmost light
Sheer, char, shrift, and sharp
Christ is risen, you may creep to the cross too late
But it's much too late to welcome the inmost light
Branch sallow willow, yew, and tree
Not so gay no more

So falling, faster and faster we fall
Near a cataclysm or salvation
Or nothing, how terrible
If we are snuffed out
With just the momentary mark of smoke
To array our passing
So we stand milky in moonlight

Is this all there is?
Is this all there is?
Is this all there is?
Our eyes so fixed
That the darkness surrounds us unnoticed
And we are drowned by the loss of the light
Unnoticed

Is this all there is my friends?
Is this all there is?

(Goodnight)
(Goodnight)
(The inmost light)

Westron wynde when wyll thow blow?
The smalle rayne downe can rayne can rayne
Cryst yf my love were in my armys
And I yn my bed agayne
And I yn my bed agayne

The little white bony door
I crack or attack my little fingers
Dust
The choke of, the texture of
The smell of, the colour of
But quietly, drably
All hell floods out
If you open that door

As alabaster guardians for me
Hovering candles
Dragonflies and mayflies
Before I sputter out
Will you meet me there
One red bird
No more dying
By the dead clock
Will you wait for me there?
Dead!

By the dead clock
By the dead clock