The Window Pane

I watched the lighting through that windowpane

Forked and thunderous and bright

I sat beside the little windowsill 

And slept in my cradle by the window that night

I pressed my dolls against the windowpane

To show them the world that I knew

And proudly displayed my paintings

My artwork of every colour and hue

I once thought I'd try through the window

A new route down to the green yard

I climbed half the way, then fell the rest 

After that my window was barred

I remember so clearly the night my lover

Threw stones at the windowpane

And in hushed voices we whispered, for hours

His love professed in snow and rain

And once, I left the house at night

All dressed up in lipstick and gown

To attend a forbidden party

And a wild night out on the town

I saw my newborn baby

Just hours after his birth

Reach out, to touch the windowpane

As if he knew its worth

And when the doctor called with his news

On an ordinary Tuesday night

I cried for hours at the window pain

Pouring out my anger and fright

For hours on end I was left alone

Confined to my dreary bed

I'd look out the window at the people outside

And wonder where their weary feet would tread

As I lay dying, alone in my bed

To cool my fevered brain

I pressed my cheek against the glass

Of that faithful old window pane