Age – Page 56 – Iron Haiku

Running

age pierces my side-
gasping as my youth runs out
between my fingers
–
crying crows-
my chest heaving at
mile marker two

washing off the day
a trail of discarded clothes
strewn out behind her
–
disturbed reverie-
on my journey
an empty snake skin

reaching for you as
just beyond my memory
you slip from my grasp
–
withered leaves-
parched soil runs
between my fingers

it’s been a long ride-
this road’s often difficult
but worth the journey
–
apple blossoms-
taken by the
wandering wind

an aging pen knife
coaxes an old fisherman
from a block of wood
–
midday rain-
an empty chrysalis
among the milkweed

freshly turned earth falls
from the back of my shovel
burying the light
–
overcast skies-
a tenuous flame
turns to smoke

my head on your thigh
searching for divinity
in a sunflower
–
crimson booms
stain the pallid
melting snow

melting chips of ice
droplets chase my finger down
the small of your back
–
a distant tor-
morning dew bends
the desert grass

The sun sinking low
With only a few breaths left
I’m not wasting them
–
midnight-
skinny dipping
without a care

staring at myself
the mirror reflecting my
wasted innocence
–
shoeless-
a ragged doll
on dusty road