A Visit From Cassilda

Twas a night not unlike any midwinter's eve,

The landscape was quiet, the world slept in peace.

After saying my prayers and being tucked into bed,

I floated on dreams that spun through my head.

When out in the field, there sounded a screaming,

I woke from my slumber to discover its meaning.

Away to the window, my hand on my heart,

I threw back the sash, and stared into the dark.

The moon in the sky shone like a brand,

Spilling cold light all over the land.

And what did I see out in the snow?

The host of heaven and those from below.

As they stood in a line, shoulder to shoulder,

I could feel in my soul the night growing colder.

“Child,” spoke a voice from out of the black.

“Witness this scene and know it is fact.

The time has arrived for a changing of season.

Gone are the days of wisdom and reason.”

Then demon and angel, sacred, abhorred,

Presented their arms and fell on their swords.

Blood spread from their bodies that covered the earth

And seeped into the history buried deep in the dirt.

A horrible moment of stillness and quiet

Was followed upon by a terrible riot.

A great piercing cry ne'er heard before

Shook the foundation, from surface to core

It rose from the host that lay on the ground,

The soul of creation, unfettered, unbound.

The firmament rent, cracked open wide

From out poured the nameless hidden inside.

Ineffable terror crept over my skin

Visions of torment without and within.

Lasting forever, the moment soon passed.

And sanity dissolved the spell that was cast.

I heard the voice speak as it faded from sight,

“This is the start of the long winter night.”