Heaven Of His Dreams

Heaven Of His Dreams
© Surazeus
2025 10 26

As sunlight glimmers on large grapevine leaves 
and honeybees murmur around Dianthus, 
buzzing among frilly petals of hope, 
old gray-haired Vedius lounges in small bower, 
snoozing half-asleep in drowsy contentment  
as he cradles wand with goat by his feet. 

Reliving passionate days of his youth, 
frail Vedius, with wrinkled skin on his arms, 
chases cute Furina around the spring 
till they embrace and feed each other grapes, 
sweet pleasure that makes him quiver in sleep 
as he moans at sweetness at warm sunlight. 

Sweet songs of nymphs in silver moonlight shriek 
loud at startled loathing of stuttered fright 
that shocks muddle-headed Vedius awake 
who leaps to his feet and clutches his wand 
at swirling dizzy angst of frantic dread 
when he stares at thick smoke in mute dismay. 

Trembling in consternation of distress, 
decrepit vintner Vedius staggers shocked 
at sight of shadow men on thundering horses 
who race between buildings of his estate 
while they swing swords that slash bodies in rage 
and throw brands of red flames on timber roofs. 

Paralyzed in shock at hot swirling flames, 
enervated Vedius huddles in tholos, 
where he manages his vineyard estate, 
and watches helpless to protect his world 
as flames destroy everything he has built, 
reducing all his work to heaps of ash. 

Dawn sun glitters blood red in swirls of smoke 
as fragile Vedius lurks on trembling legs 
among fire-blistered wineries and tanks, 
kneeling to caress skull of each burned soul 
and whisper their name with shamed affection, 
then weeps at sight of vine hills charred to ash. 

Starting with nothing but one sprouted vine, 
resolute Vedius worked for fifty years 
transforming bare hills to rows of grape vines 
that surround wineries, crush pads, and tanks, 
where hundreds of people once bottled wine 
and delivered them all over the land. 

Sitting in marble tholos that remains 
alone among charred ruins of his world, 
stalwart Vedius stares at the empty sky 
that glimmers silently above black hills, 
and smiles with bitter-sweet sadness of pride 
that he created Heaven of his dreams.