Elemental – Page 29

Soltice

the year’s longest night
herald the winter solstice
ere the morning comes
–
watching our breath-
the black of night
pierced by stars

a torn cap worn low
collar turned against the wind
shrouded in darkness
–
a squalid doorway-
scant shelter from
the bitter cold

contemplating life
and remembering the dead
this cold winter night
–
the cutting north wind-
heavily laden with
bitter freight

stolen innocence-
inured to constant violence
and lost empathy
–
distant wildfires
a false sunset in
the eastern sky

air laced with woodsmoke
thick with a rich silence as
the rain turns to snow
–
twilight
listening to
the snow fall

the hours before dawn
weaving my way back home through
the thinnest of light
–
gently becoming
as one with
the winter sky

jagged windblown sand
making a meal of driftwood
in the desert sun
–
just beyond the dunes
a faint whisper of
false promises

a ring tailed hawk watching
the curve of the crescent moon
emerge from the mist
–
the full moon
silhouetted
against the night

jewel in the lotus
tibetan prayer wheels turned by
cascades of water
–
a winter dawn
snow skates across
the temple threshold

wet and matted hair
cold rain, hot blood, and cordite
soak into the dirt
–
a sparrow-
perched on
a ruined shell