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 punctiliously
Supplanting those final flickers of flame while Her
Cicada eyes twinkled the last of their brilliance

Within Her ghostly mantle;
Tired, they fought the inevitable until
All was sallow; all was silent

She slept undisturbed and content within the
Embrace of a tolerant universe and
I resisted the impulse to touch Her
One final time.  Not yet…no…

Not until I leave the valley and sleep with her once more