The beautiful old soul, like a dying star,
Burns brighter as it nears its seeming end,
And fills with glorious light, the regions far
Beyond where fainter rays it once could send;
It grows gigantic, like a god of fire,
And then explodes in blinding flash of light,
To leave but vision’s memory to inspire
That beauty it once lent to this dark night.
But when the last of its bright flames is shed,
Its life force slips into a place between
This world and that in which it is not dead,
But as a dark star, moves our world unseen—
Then with a higher kind of light it burns,
To which something that’s deep within us turns.
Daniel Leach is a poet living in Houston, Texas. He has spent much of his life fighting for the ideals of classical culture and poetry. Read more of his poetry and writings on culture. His volume of poetry, compiling over 20 years of composition, is entitled "Voices on the Wind."