Indian Ghost Song

It was in the canyon in twilight deep

Of the mystical desert night,

When the shadows creep down from the mountainsides steep

And envelop all things of sight,

That he heard a strange song on the air seem to float,

Though not of a human or a living throat,

But as one with the air and the light.

It was sad, but of such beautiful, haunting tone,

He imagined that it could not be

Of this time or this world, but some spirit lone,

Like the wind we can hear but not see—

And something there was in that sadness that spoke

To his soul as if its own memory woke,

And struggled through time to be free.

And it seemed as if he'd been there before,

Long ago when the wilder winds blew,

As a voice from the shadows of long lost times bore

Him that song that he somehow knew,

A lovely love-song of a deep-throated flute,

That echoed in stillness as all else was mute,

As closer to his soul it drew.

Ah yes, it was here he had once sat and played

That sweet song on a warm summer night,

In a time and a life that like midnight dreams fade,

But awaken again in daylight,

And the Indian brave that he had once been

Breathed his heart for his love on the air once again,

And into the darkness took flight.

And every evening for many a year,

He came back there to once again feel

That sweet longing as his song brought her spirit near,

And knew not whether vision or real,

And he wondered what joys the shadows might bring

If his spirit should fly on his melody’s wing,

And the secrets of darkness reveal.

May, 2017

Daniel is a poet living in Houston, Texas. He has spent much of his life fighting for the ideals of classical culture and and poetry. His volume of poetry, compiling over 20 years of composition, is entitled Voices on the Wind.