they are laying the siege   the queen has ordered the walls rebuilt   stock of provisions and stock of skills   they're taking their leave   friends abandoned in times of plenty   poisoning the beautiful moat with envy   and i had a dream of a lost little girl   who danced in lace and lightning white pearls   the dizzying circles that blurred my sight   as we looked to the tower where she appeared   each night      the siege is in force   the candle, the torch for the hungry men   hovering like drones in the poisoned pen   that intimate course   sucking the power from her lessening health   making her feel guilt for all of her wealth   and i had a dream of a beautiful woman   who gave all her strength in the birth of a son   the fullness she shone it was reassuring   her venomous anger restrained for once      the siege it is over   the walls are in the ruins of the harpers' tunes   they all run coughing from the smoke filled rooms   where are they, where   the silver’s been plundered and stripped to the bone   the well's run dry, there is a cold hearthstone   and i had a dream that i saw it all   the old woman in darkness who screams ~n the hall   what little she has now is what little she had then   they all want it over though they know how it ends