Tritagonist - Lady Elm In A Courtyard Lyrics

Do you scowl at the world with rage
Or perhaps with cynicism, or skepticism
To schism yourself from environment
Or with disgust, or maybe merely indifference
Which is it? All the above, or something unspeakable
It's difficult to discern
Nonetheless, I wander this prison
Daily, a city to itself; in the dead of night I find an opening
As if a secret: a courtyard, cool breeze, moonlit, with barriers
Deterring escape. Still, it's a reminder of an external world
With buildings and streets on the other side
Then I find her, standing with the greatest of care, regal in all ways
But I fail to recognize this, because Lady Elm is a stranger
Discovering my cold eyes mirroring the shadows
On labyrinthine walls. Elm says

"We're prisoners, and I know you've no reason to trust
But your hostility is misdirected
Their gods are of no use
Pose no threat to us who follow the Lord of Hosts
Yet do our traumas become our gods mightier than our Creator
Friend, we suffer not in vain, despite the courage required
To remain steadfast. Your being here: 'it brings the first smile
I've had all day - not because I don't hurt for your pain or wish to
Help you feel better - it's because you understand - you are in this place
We all share. Even when grieving or feeling self-pity, I hear the sound
In the silence, the willow-wisp of light in the blackness confirming
We're never alone nor lost; despite a thousand nightmares,
We're never truly abandoned
All journey where and how we must
God's universes are prolific, but our journeys are never without purpose
Nor an endpoint which may leave a tree dead yet always feeding
The seedling of renewal.'
For now, I hear them drawing near
Those tortures desiring empowerment at our expense
As if confinement and loneliness weren't enough
Do not fear, friend; they will find you,
But not today, for I'll lead them away if but for a respite, for you to delight
In 'the waste' of God's creation
(It isn't trash, you know, just transitory
But with such worth and grace)
And when I see you again
In this labyrinth, I hope to see a smile instead of a scowl