High on a distant mountain cliff,
Magnificent and statuesque,
Enhanced by a frigid winter's moon,
Stands a dark and lonely silhouette.

 

What a sight for man to ponder
On a night so crystal clear,
Although many miles away,
The silhouette appears so near.

 

Suddenly the air is broken,
As sounds cut through the frozen sky
The silhouette throws back its head,
 And offers up a mournful cry.

 

Over and over plaintive wails
Persist throughout the night,
Man's imagination's stirred,
His respect is mixed with fright.

 

Why does this far-off creature,
Loudly baying at the moon,
Affect the guts of man so much,
His body cannot move?

 

And why does man identify
With a  beast so far away?
That he will never feel or touch?
What message is conveyed?

 

Perhaps man wants to howl and wail,
To relieve his inner pain,
His heart in want; his soul in need,
An ache he cannot name.

 

I think he really wants to cry,
In a manner like that beast,
To express some hidden anguish,
To seek his own release.

 

I wonder if man's jealous,
Because he can't cry out like that,
His inhibitions so restrict him,
He's caught in his own trap.

 

Alone, each cries into the night,
Each calls in his own way,
The creature's wails are loud and clear,
But man buries his away.

 

Perhaps each yearns for basic truth
To learn one's role upon the earth,
To learn how each connects with God,
To learn the purpose of one's birth.

 

Will the creature find its answers,
By crying to the skies?
Will man find his solutions,
By crying deep inside?

 

Poor beast, poor man ... can't understand,
Despite their cries and pleas,
Their answers lie in another land,

That's called Eternity.

 

Virginia (Ginny) Ellis
Copyright January 2004