It Must

Petals from the roses
fall like passing minutes.
Fragrance fills the room
no one wishes it's radiance.

A teapot screams
its angry song.
A lonely mug on the counter
sits forlorn.

No candles burn.
No flame endures.
Windows without curtains.
No lock on any doors.

All's quiet
but nothing's still.
Hands trembling,
they probably always will.

Second hands of every clock
tick in an unyielding march.
Drowning in every beverage,
but still the throat is parched.

Verdant yard and emerging flora
no clean snow to blanket or hide
just the exposed earth
a vulnerability, not often tried.

No dragons here
but beasts abound.
No knight in sight,
but bravery can be found.

Demons more than wished away
effort and will,
cunning and skill,
Hold back the darkness another day.

And in the light
or dark, or dusk
what needs to be mustered is mustered
simply because
it must.