Now, as I become a man,
     coolly poised to walk the well-known path
           my father trod,
In dreams I see another road
      that leads to warmer climes,
            to dark and smiling reaches
            where my frozen heart will thaw
            and come alive with passions
                  that I’m yet too new to grasp.

An unplanned future calls me,
      with promises of pain and joy,
            and love beyond imagining.

These tantalizing visions show
     blue eyes, black curls, and sunshine
           in a crooked grin
           that offers trust, protection, rest.

Bright phantom, be there when I come,
     somewhere to the south
           of my lonely winter life.