Ice and Desire

Times like these, I catch love napping
It twists me over, murmuring desire.
It says that nowtimes, life has lost its clamor,
Has lost its agelong burning at the pyre.

And if the world should end in hate and ice,
It cannot end while love sleeps in its bed.
Love needs to wake and live and perish;
It needs a last performance 'ere it's dead.

It needs to howl and raise a ghastly din;
It needs to roar defiance at the cold;
It needs to burn; a single shard of frost
Must melt a little 'ere the ice takes hold.