The ball of fire shone bright and strong

Promising a summer of days long

The populace groaned in the heat

Waiting for the times when the moon they'll meet.

My life had just begun but yet

It looked like my sun was going to set.

And with it dashed a million hopes

I even thought I'd decorate the Pope.

Suddenly a gloom descended all around

A tablecloth of grey that appeared without a sound.

A tapestry woven with delicate care

That straddled the mountains without a tear

The star of our world appeared distant

My world changed in an instant

Around me were heard cries of relief

Even my purple cheeks did heave in disbelief.

My surroundings green, my world reborn

I now looked upstairs with a little scorn.

Rainclouds were they? I wasn't sure

But sweet, cool water I'd love to endure.

It started off as a small whisper

Often heard as birds do twitter

But grew alarmingly into a gust

I'd never seen a storm, was this my first?

And then I felt the sharp, searing pain

As the wind blew strong just up the lane.

A crack in the cauldron not too loud

Took away all that made me proud.

The crack was mine, my beautiful stem

That had promised delicacy and strength

Engineering excellence was what I had been told

Aaah...anything to get things to be sold!

I drifted along with the strong current

As rain fell around me in a loud torrent.

I finally knew a bird's view

Too bad it wasn't when I started life anew.

The earth below, the trees around

Looked like images that made never a sound.

And presently I felt the curse of Newton

As my path curved down towards hard stone

But my landing was a soft affair

My petals suffered just a couple of tears.

I wondered as to this miracle of motion

A sweet, calming , benumbing lotion?

Then I looked around

At the source of the loud sound.

A man it was covered in white

Around whom burned a fire alight.

A pile of logs, a crowd chanting

Interspersed with the sounds of a woman ranting.

A pyre it was the dead man's bed,

My cradle a white lap of softness instead.

As the flames engulfed the man below

My thoughts came through clear and slow.

No fame he has, no figure of merit

His life defined by simple tenets

His time had come he had to go

Even though it made others around him low

My life made sense, I was filled with pride

Felt as happy as a new-wed bride

My purpose it was to adorn this man

As he makes a journey that transcends land.

A journey through time and space infinite

A journey that signifies a new day as much as night.

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