If Only for a While

The burning edge of the sun
rose over the endless forest,
looming, a fiery, golden arc
below a wide and waking sky,
and I watched an eagle fly,
soaring on the morning breeze.

From where I stood I could see
endless towering, verdant trees,
dark hills, a river and open space;
and I recalled another place,
a dream-spun vista that would portend
new worlds to roam, new journeys
and tomorrows that would never end.

Dawn came with its silent need
and shone with a distant glow.
As the world lay quiet at my feet
I watched the wide river flow.

Still I remembered troubled times,
the years of fantasy and dreams
now buried in time's shifting sand,
and I reached out a trembling hand
to try to hold on to what was real,
the way you once made me feel
alive in the warmth of your smile,
if only for a while.