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A crystalline spirit sat at the edge of nothingness,
at her side, so perfectly in waiting piles,
lay reams of hope, stacks of desire, bushels of dreams
and bound lengths of love,

all placed with such care and now.... waiting...

Sibyllic eyes of violet-bright burning
turn up and lay gaze upon the wanderer
She speaks as if from bidding, answering the question
that had yet to form from lips
"I am bound to wait here," she whispers,
"I am to build the bridge...
The supplies have been made ready,
for an island - a whole world, even!
had passed into view... out there"

And she turned and pointed away from all that is known,
her lavender eyes becoming black,
finding no light to reflect in the chasmous void of infinity

She sighed - a sound like ice splintering

"Out here it is hard to see what is solid stone,
and what is mirage,
a pretty image-world passed before us
It grew covered in dense forest and life abundant,
water in every form thundered and made its courses there
gods ruled and were ruled by the goddesses of divine love,
and Beauty....
Beauty made her kingdom there

"In tremulous elation and quiet fear
I prepared to build the bridge,
recounted spools and reams and stacks
immortal in anticipation
But the Guardians of my world bade me wait...
'Wait until the moon is bright,' they said,
'and this ambrosian orb turns full on its axis
Be warned! This wondrous image-world before you is no longer self-contained
See where its seeds are planted and take heed
as, though it may have much to offer you,
its care may neglect another's need'

"And I listened," she said,
"for the Guardians are wise beyond Time."

And she waited, for a truth already known

"And yes, I saw, that in lifetimes past,
the world that now passed before us
had sinked orbit with another of equal brightness -
the two unwanting of a separate sun,
for they shone upon each other
spiraling in combined gravity,
and having no need to fear the void"

The nymph spoke on, though her lips now were still
and resting upon unuttered promises...

'We of this world know that every molecule and every atom,
every particle of light effects and is effected by another
And it would be to upset the balance of these orbiting twin moons
to alter their natural course and larger system
with the indelicate hands of reckless wanting
and covetous desire

'Taking share of the precious seeds of this orb
only leaves two gardens half planted,
a thousand magical tales never to be spun
with unripened fruit from the stunted
growth of either bed

'And this I have learned -
the mirror of this passing paradise showing true-
That my world has been formed to be filled to the brim
attended, encompassed,
surrendered, surrounded,
wrapped wholly around and within
daily covered in new morning dew

'And this I have learned -
This bridge I would build is meant to bear weight
a hundred million gardens worth of seeds to be grown
in newfound loam, is here at the gate
awaiting a berth and a mooring
And a cup poured out into one half-filled
leaves half still with me,
unopened presents still under the tree
on a chill Aquarian morning

'The Guardians know there will be others
But my eyes were fashioned with facets of linear time
and this universe is vast
and mostly made of nothingness

'Still I listen, for the Guardians are wise beyond Time.'

She smiled faintly,
a weak remembrance that within Infinite Possibility
the far-off lands of Fairness, Bliss, Happiness and Unconditional Love
somewhere still spin

As the cells unknowing of the greater mind,
she spoke aloud once more,

"It is not for me to know
It is for me to wait, and be ready"

And with that she folded her hands in her lap,
pulling up broken threads of gossamer gold
that spilled from her Weaver's basket
and trailed loose out over the Edge

She returned her gaze outward,
violet eyes again absorbed into the perfection of blackness
And the Guardians watched as her hair grew long and silver,
then white
And her skin creased and sank
then cracked

With nothing but the count
of her
heart ...
beat ...
through ...
Time ...
She sat content, oblivious, unmoving
in endless silence...

save for the hollow, bone-chilling wind of the void


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