The Chariot

Sing, O Muse, of wisdom old,
Of truths too harsh and tales untold.
Where twilight stretched o’er field and pen,
Two creatures sat, one wise, one when.

Upon the hay, mid golden light,
They watched the day give way to night.
The lamb, so young, his heart unscarred,
Spoke forth, his voice both bright and hard.

“O wise one, tell, what lies beyond?
Past yonder fence, where herds have gone?
They cross the gate and do not stay,
Yet none return, where do they stray?”

The elder stilled, his breath ran deep,
He gazed upon the moonlit sheep.
His heavy voice, both firm and low,
Spoke truths the young one dared not know.

“No path beyond this fence is thine,
No meadows vast, no hills divine.
For thee, no world beyond this gate,
But hush, dear child, and ask not fate.”

The lamb, confused, his spirit burned,
His heart defied, his youth unlearned.
“What do you mean? You must be wrong!
They leave, they go, they march along!

I too shall walk beyond this land,
And taste the air so bright and grand!
Perhaps you fear the world so wide,
And here in age, you choose to hide!”

The elder’s sigh was soft yet grim,
His sorrow weighed too much for him.
With downcast eyes, he shook his head,
And to the silent shadows said:

“You see them go, yet not return,
And still, your heart has yet to learn.
You wonder where the others tread,
But fail to ask, where go the dead?”

The lamb stood still, his voice was mute,
Yet prideful youth would not refute.
“I do not fear as you have done,
My time has come, my road’s begun!

At dawn, they call, I leave this place,
And step beyond to fate’s embrace.
The chariot comes to lead me far,
A journey vast where wonders are!”

The elder turned to face the sky,
A cloud of sorrow veiled his eye.
His voice grew hushed, yet full of weight,
A dirge for one who dreams too late.

“The chariot is not a steed,
It does not bow to man’s own need.
No road it walks, no path it shows,
It bears but loss, and never knows.”

The lamb stood firm, yet doubt now crept,
A whisper in the dark that wept.
The stars above refused to tell,
As silence in the pasture fell.

The elder did not rise nor call,
He sat and watched the darkness fall.
At dawn, the chariot arrived in dust,
And when it left, the lamb was hushed.