In Memoriam of a Phantom

In the curdled afternoon of time,
A shapely figure warms up on the horizon,
Holding out a hand like a half-hearted promise,
And slowly...
Ever so slowly...
She insinuates herself alas!
Into the crimson of the setting sun.
Quickly I get out of the old meandering mill,
Negotiating my every step with a suspended will,
And... Surprise! A COLOSSUS springs up in the middle of the road,
I serve my head against its marble and hug its cold.
Like a blind bleeding bat, flying out of season,
I tumble down with a thud and sit up--
Silhouetted against the vast sea of the unknown.
I search my befuddled brain for her lingering image,
Her perfume, her... but all in vain.
Stoic and resigned, I drink to life with a Viking's cup.