1.
It rolled away endlessly
Endlessly and then I saw the end
It didn't look like anything but
I recognised the pale
And fire that rose from the bush
I saw the pool around her feet
She looked up and called
Stepping over mud and dust
Sinking in the green and blue
She called and I followed
There it was; the pale
The silhouettes rising out of nothing
I was blind but she remained
These ghosts don't like strangers but
I've been here before
Though I was sleeping I smelt the fog
Breathed in the rust and mould
I felt the cold where they linger
Slept amongst the grass and weeds
Under the oak where she lies
She hangs
The breeze is gentle but she moves still
The red is gold and the blue is silver
A treasure of blood and tears
And I am the master, the captain
Though she called I sailed this ship
I brought her to these soft shores
The waves lap up their share of this earth
And I take my share too
I fill my pockets with gold and silver
And when the blood shows through the cotton
When my shirt is salted and wet
I cut her down and take my place
Beneath the oak tree where her eyes linger
Long enough to see me, too, flying
Alone and then not
The crowds come floating in
They sing to me and crown me