Breath – Page 14 – Iron Haiku

Devotion

black leather collar
tight around my neck lying
prostrate at your feet
–
cold stone-
village pews
stand empty

the telephone rings-
it seems you and I still have
unfinished business
–
woolen socks and
warm apple cider-
my phone in a drawer

just another day
thoughts and prayers for the dead while
no one does a thing
–
a quiet morning-
evil flourishes
in the silence

staring at the clock
trying to understand the
cruelty of time
–
aching for sleep-
minutes collect
in piles on the floor

the living desert-
waves carried across the sand
by wind on the dunes
–
tumbleweeds-
a mindless expanse
of lifeless sand

blackbird’s lilting song-
sunlight caresses your face
just before you wake
–
in the clouds-
the soft glow of
an autumn dawn

I don’t fall in love
but on a night like tonight
I’ll consider it
–
intoxicating-
licking the salt
from your lips

crawling out of bed
passing by the hall mirror
my reflection gone
–
the dead of night-
awaiting your
invitation

I may seem nice but
if I had my way I’d carve
the meat from your bones
–
desperate thirst-
lions in the
tall grass

a roadside vigil-
flowers for a young man turned
forever nineteen
–
sudden silence-
shell casings
in the grass