Errant's Return

My eyes begin to blur with age. The near
Is lost; my focus on the far away
I see in mirrored vision childhood's clear
And vivid dreams of time to come, the day
Ahead when we should stand as knights agleam
And ladies fair, and pledge ourselves to God
And Majesty. I see again the dream
Of bright adventure on that path untrod.
What was the grail I sought that brought me here
To stand and see myself so clearly now
'Twixt youth and death and at the turn of year
Remembering my errantry, my Vow?
My vision bright and new I see unfold
Within my heart the chalice of the soul.

I stand beneath an ancient oak and gaze
On times gone by; in reverie I move
Into a timeless eye where age's haze
Is banish'ed, and life's true self doth prove
Immortal, though the flesh may age and die.
Though actors on an earthy stage we play
At past and future, yet soul gives the lie
To this, for all is now and no decay
Can'st touch the spirit's living art. I see
Before me ageless order in all things
Displayed, and where before was mystery
And dark -- a vision of the source now springs
To life. To light, to laughter, and to joy
I inward raise mine eye, and Death destroy.