In an attempt to comfort an old friend who was dying, I spoke of the memories we shared, the laughs we had, the fish we caught, and near the end he said he was ready for the dance. I asked him what he meant, and he said,

I was born before the earth was formed
In misty shadows in the lee
Of giant gods who sheltered me
While all about me stormed
My mother was a flickered light
My father held me in his palm
And told me of the sudden calm
That came only at night
When howling wind that never ceased
Blew rain as hard as silver beads
And carried with it magic seeds
That formed both man and beast
There came the time the night so long
Was sundered by the golden beams
That stirred the gods deep in their dreams
To sing to me a song
That told the tale of things to come
Of grace and beauty, laughing joy
And said that I, now but a boy
Would calculate the sum
Of barefoot angels as they danced
On moors where flowered broom stood high
As angel wings reflected sky
A silent I entranced
The gods sang that when time was near
That angels would upon my death
Dance for me on my final breath
And so I have no fear
He smiled and then he whispered aye
And in the sterile hospice room
The angels danced in flowered broom
White wings reflecting sky