Anne Harlan Prather - Darkness lyrics

There's a darkness out between the stars that any eye can see There's a deeper dark within me, where no light will ever be There's an empty place beside me where my lover ought to stand And there's a burning sun before me, and the throttle's in my hand Two days ago I lost him, on a world without a name As we touched the land to claim it, for the thousandth time the same And I left him but a moment, and I did not see him fall I only know that I failed him, never heard his final call I dug his grave in alien ground, in the shade of an alien wood And I touched him there one final time, and I said what words I could Let that cold world hold him gently, for he came so far to die Then I took the ship that was our home and blasted for the sky But deep space holds no comfort for one broken and alone And our ship held only memories of the joys that we once had known And I could not live without him in a life no longer whole So I chose to die by starlight and let fire cleanse my soul And now the screens glow blinding bright, the fires burn ahead The hull around me whispers as it glows an angry red There's a high, cold wail behind me, as though starships too could cry But my hand is cold and steady, for the time has come to die But now my love comes back to me, 'cross gulfs I'll never know And I hear his voice within me, and I hear him crying, No! And I pull the throttle to me, and the forward thrusters burn And the ship cries out in agony as she fights to make the turn My vision starts to fail me as the forces mount and grow And I wonder when the ship will fail, and I wonder if I'll know Then the screen before me darkens, and a coolness strikes my face And there's nothing left before me but the endless depths of space There's a darkness out between the stars that any eye can see But there's a light within that darkness touches even a fool like me For I know my love forgives me, and I know he loves me still Once we roamed the stars together, now I know we always will