Sunset Angel

Sunset Angel
By: Amanda Oliphant
Dedicated to: Amy Oliphant

The Sunset Angel, the villagers called her
This woman who walked by the sea
The legends they told each new generation
Claimed that her beauty was matched by none
Every night, as the sun drifted downward,
Drowning in the dark sea,
Taking all light with it,
She could be found softly walking along the shore,
Taking only sights and sounds,
Leaving only footprints
Of all these things the legends did tell,
But nobody ever saw

I was a newcomer to this land,
But a child, and overwhelmed by everything so new
Each leaf, each sound, each vivid color,
All were nothing but strangers to me
Staring into the endless space,
A small tear escaped my eye,
Slid down my cheek and dropped to the sand
I knew nothing of this strange world,
And nobody was there to help me

It was then that I lifted my tear-streaked face,
And off in the distance I beheld a figure
Clad in a waving dress of white,
She walked toward me with a small smile
The smile that changed my life
I gasped and turned toward the sun,
And the orb of burning light was halfway enveloped
By the never-ending sea

The woman in white was upon me now,
And I could see that she was not the one of the legend,
For her features did not surpass any other
She was beautiful, yes, but in an ordinary way
She was taller than I, with chocolate hair
And large, wise eyes the color of grass in the Spring
She looked down upon me with those eyes,
Smiled wider and said "Follow me."
And I did not hesitate to grab her hand,
I stood and walked with her on the shore

She and I walked for hours, and the sun never set
She told me of this new world I was in
She taught me of my purpose here,
Taught me of life, and taught me of death
Described to me a sparrow's song, the smell of dew,
The beauty of a rainbow
She taught me of people, languages and stories
Told me all the legends and taught me all the songs
She even sang, to calm me down
When a howling wind made me cry

When the sun was slipping away at last,
She kneeled and looked me in the eye
"I must go now," she told me "but remember what I taught you."
I watched and cried as she walked away,
And sank to the ground when she disappeared

I found myself sitting on a rock sometime later,
I looked out into the beautiful sea
It was there that I thanked the Sunset Angel
For teaching me, loving me, and guiding me
I could not see her, and it seemed like I talked to myself,
But I knew that she could hear me
"The beauty the legends speak of," I said,
"Is not that of your body.
Your soul is where the unrivaled beauty lies,
Your soul is truly matched by none
As you walked with me by the sea, you took nothing,
But you left everlasting footprints upon my heart
You changed me, you shaped me, you showed me the way
You truly are an angel
My angel, sent from God
Come to set me free."