Rubbing my clothed hands together,

My soul is balanced precariously at the tip of my tongue.

Paused before the Eye of the gods,

My immortality escapes with every visible exhalation.

I take a moment to peer at myself,

At time’s signature etched into my skin.

When I cross the threshold, the glass shatters at my back,

Stars dance beneath my feet.

I’m bid to shed my coat,

My external shell is left at the doorway to Paradise.

Advancing towards the dais,

A gaping void presents itself.

Willing a shape reminiscent of a hand into existence,

I reach into the depths of the heart of Time.

The gauzy membrane gives at my enquiry,

Feathers fleetingly flutter against the palm of my hand.

Questing further,

My conceived appendage meets resistance.

The hand that finally accepts mine is long fingered and smooth,

the fine boned appendages minutely hesitated.

Within my grasp,

I pull them forward.

The face of my enemy in life appears within the shallows,

A smile curved across their face.

The soul of my guide after life coaxes me towards them,

My being is swallowed.

Friend and foe in communion,

The differences blur in the beginning of the end.