The Wheel

Ancient bones from empty moons

Beams of light in silent rooms

Hollow logs and children’s tunes

Floors swept bare with broken brooms

I live in forests of delight

Far from the factories of the night

Far from the seeping wounds of spite

From claws that tear and teeth that bite

And all the journeys I have made

And those who left and those who stayed

And curling flame and glinting blade

And money lost and debts unpaid

And fighting in the burning streets

And blood that stains the tangled sheets

And girls who lie and men who cheat

And live in love and dank deceit

And when the wheel turns round again

And spells the letters of my name

The broken hearts remain the same

And nothing’s lost and nothing gained

And walking through the windy streets

I draw the patterns of defeat

Although I know within me beats

A heart that cannot stay complete

And when the money’s nearly gone

And all is lost and all is won

You stay and fight or turn and run

From all you’ve done or left undone

And though we wade through blood and foam

And winds of chaos drive us home

We stand before, in wounded strife

The shining apple tree of life.