Anger – Page 22 – Iron Haiku

Shock

distant sirens wail
slowly I realize that
you’re not coming home
–
a warm shower
startled awake
by the telephone

standing in judgement
my perceived righteousness trumps
your humanity
–
seething
holding back
the avalanche

ashen faced, burning
private humiliations
displayed in public
–
pine boughs
a glimpse
of scarlet

small talk in their booth
a dinner plate shatters and
she’s back in Iraq
–
turning winds
a yearling doe
prepares to bolt

ripped from a deep sleep
waking up in tattered clothes
not sure where I am
–
full moon rising
my true form
no longer hidden

running on instinct
pure adrenaline, and a
case of diet coke
–
pewter moonlight
silver fish turn
in pools of mist

awash in the tide
a ruined galleon lists
her cannons askew
–
prevailing winds
limping home
on torn sails

a symbol of strength
welcoming travelers that
seek her destruction
–
in the forest
of fallen oaks
a sapling grows

sleep so elusive
reliving memories in
my childhood bedroom
–
oppressive heat
clock watching
until sunrise

clinging to the light
for fear I may yet answer
when the darkness calls
–
spring rains
surging cataracts
once docile streams