22 November 2012
'Come with me', he said, 'and I'll take you to a place Where fear and pain and loneliness can gently be replaced You may well be on your knees, but I will help you stand All you have to do is come with me. Just take my hand. '
Death came pretty quickly back in 1873 And I honestly believed he would never visit me I'd made money from machines, I led a wealthy life Most beautiful of children, most extraordinary wife The business was expanded, then came the motor car Profits exponential Import, export near and far If modesty allows I could say I had it all But I cannot forget our first encounter. I recall...
I'd had a business meeting that went on throughout the night And as I left I saw him, dressed resplendently in white He fixed me with his gaze and politely doffed his hat Lit a cigarette, wandered off, and that was that I knew all in town but hadn't seen this man before He seemed to have a purpose standing by the town hall door A chill was in the air as I started on my way And things began to change from the dawn of the new day...
My machines were breaking down, I lost money rapidly The shop floor full of whispers, he's going to lose the company Bankruptcy arrived, accounts frozen, I was numb And although I couldn't know it the worst was yet to come It was a sunny day when my wife and children died Mown down in the street, a small parcel at their side The car, once my saviour, had now taken all I had The police gave me the parcel and its contents were so sad It was a pocket watch, with a shell of midnight blue And on the back of an old photo, there was a message too 'To my husband and our father, these words are rarely spoken You are a busy man but our love for you's unbroken This gift we give is time, so when you gaze upon its face Remember we'll be waiting, wherever be your place'
And now, for the second time, he stands in front of me Waiting for the time I give him cause to set me free 'So then, will you come? I offer you my hand Surely, at the end, you have come to understand Now you know my name, I cannot guarantee your peace The one thing I can give you is sweet merciful release' I gathered all my strength and I shouted at the man 'No I am not ready! Not while I hold this in my hand!' I threw at him the watch and said calmly, 'Read the back Come with me and then you'll see why my mood is coloured black' He read and then he sighed, and sat upon the bed 'That really is the most beautiful thing that I've ever read That day when we first met, I knew what lay in store I had to let it happen, I just could do no more But what you do not know is that I have them all with me So if it's what your heart desires you can join your family' I thought about the offer, and then withdrew my hand 'I'll make my own way sir, I am sure you understand I see my wife and children each and every day Inside my heart and mind, and that is where they'll stay.' He stood and gave a smile, then lit a cigarette 'Fair enough for now, but I've not given up just yet When you want to come with me, my offer will still stand I will listen for your call. Maybe then you'll take my hand...'
That was then, this is now, and I'm finally ready to go Reunite me with my family, life eternal in the afterglow I shall call the man to me, dressed resplendently in white He shall spirit me away and take me to the brightest light I still remember our first meeting when I didn't understand What his presence meant and exactly what he'd planned Neither of us reckoned with my family's gift of time Given in 1873. It's now 1999...
Come With Me • Opuss № I