The Lamp

The Lamp

On the night of my departure she lit a lamp for me
And placed it in the window to guide me back home
That little light I still can see
No matter the distance that I roam
And though the years have come and gone
And I know now the light is out
I still watch the horizon until dawn
In my hand a photo, my voice fixed to shout
To call my lover back to me
To find the lamp lit in the window sill
To find her, to know the light, to see
But alas! my love eludes me still
Yet I shall not rest until I see
That burning, longing, mourning light
And bring my lover home to me
So still I look out every night
Sometimes I dream that she calls to me
With lamp in hand and smile warm
Only to awake to the sound of the sea
And the turgid sense of an inner storm
But I will wait until age and years
Come to claim my life, my sight
I will wait, will stay my mourning tears
Until I find my lover’s light