Travel – Page 14 – Iron Haiku

Vacation

last minute details
awhirl with activity
all before we leave
–
fog rolling in
light rain falling
obscuring the jetway

sailing the narrows
navigating the graveyards
of nameless seamen
–
rising tide-
waves break
on hidden shoals

stalled at the crossroads
the future hinging upon
a stranger’s kindness
–
canna lilies-
the hummingbird
indecisive

walking side by side
my constant companion long
before I met you
–
ebb tide-
our footprints
in the sand

iron seas and skies
sailing into the north wind
my face to the rain
–
solitude-
my paddle dips
into glassy water

eaten alive, wedged
in the belly of the beast
resigned to his fate
–
roaring water-
the spawning grounds
await upstream

mired in my fears
a prisoner of what was
slave to what might be
–
hawk’s shadow
into a deadfall
a rabbit tail

empty eyes soulless-
sliding down the razors edge
between life and death
–
soft rattles-
promises of release
in the tall grass

awake and alone
the contours of your body
still fresh in my sheets
–
a startled thrush-
impressions left
in the tall grass

the great blue heron
gently gliding just above
its own reflection
–
standing water-
a perfect sky
at my feet