Hotel X
Edward Ka-Spel
Tanith and the Lion Tree (1991)

I watched the smoke rise slowly
from your tired eyes. Two columns
formed a marble gateway to a
starlit room. And, painfully, you
raised your stick + led me through
with promises of paradise, where
nothing ever dies - it blossoms. I
followed, pacified. No preconceptions,
open-eyed. My faith worn
on a shaky hand but hanging to
your ribbons. We danced across
the crystal ocean, we sheltered
from the storm. We were warm
inside a blacklight cavern -
watched the red sky raining roman
candles; washed our hands in
amber - we were married in the
shade. A shadow band was
serenading Adagio, then faded
yellow, grey-green, purple, blue...
A rainbow whirlpool pulled us
down; we tiptoed senseless
underground. There was nothing
we could hold except each other.
You murmured your apologies; I
smothered you with sympathy. We
crawled, we shivered to the mirror
where you stretched your shaky
hand - hung bravely to my
ribbons... And me? I watched my
tired eyes slowly burning. Slowly
burning. (Fade away)