The ballad of you and I

When I met you 'neath skies of blue
And nature all aglow,
The bluebirds sang, the church bells rang
And time did cease to flow.

Then spring came by to you and I -
Your perfume filled the air;
Some silent song kept ringing on
Like the answer to a prayer.

Now you were gone one summer morn' -
The skies had paused to weep;
My soul did sigh a lullaby
And put my heart to sleep.

I walked alone, still holding on
To dreams that were denied.
Some pretty dame without a name
Did nurse my broken pride.

But you came back - all out of luck;
I'd had my sweet revenge.
We'd lost our youth, forgot the truth
That we could never change.

So I spun about and walked right out -
You never turned your gaze.
In our heart of hearts, we knew our parts
But the play had left the stage.

Now we are old - Let it be told
I can't deny the pain.
But if you're there, Lord I swear
I'd live it all again.

Yours sincerely
Jude

In the night

The lights are low, the curtains down -

The day is set to close.

Quiet, as the scurrying mouse

Comes a moonbeam on tiptoes.

The wind is high, the night so clear -

The plants are all aglow.

With minds at ease and hearts at rest

Their heads swing to and fro.

There I sit and hum some tune;

My eyes are opened wide.

And dream a dream of carefree youth,

And the joy that is denied.

Yours sincerely

Jude

Fallen hast thou

Fallen hast thou, my faithful friend -

Thy bountiful heart laden with grief;

Seeketh thou what thy mind knoweth not -

Mine eyes, oh, a river they weep!

Answered? Nay, thy mendicant prayers

Knoweth no reason nor rhyme.

Thy gold, thy silver, all thy pride

Lay a-beggin' in the grime.

No more thou kisseth the summer moon

Nor the silvery waters below!

Behold, the lonely bluebirds shed

Blue teardrops in the snow.

Whither art thou, my angel bright?

The silent hills implore;

The tide is gone, the breeze is low -

This ship canst sail no more.

Fallen hast thou my faithful friend -

Thy tales them children hear

And for all the joy it bringeth them

T'is more than I canst bear.

Yours sincerely

Jude