September 2017 – Iron Haiku

a prick and a push-
quelling my inner deamons
for just a moment
–
thunder-
reveling in
the sudden silence

pleading for my life-
attempting to atone for
the wrongs that I’ve done
–
morning dew-
my sins cast
upon the water

violent currents
slake their thirst with sailor’s lives
by the gates of hell
–
jagged ice-
ancient wrecks
litter the narrows

a golden eagle-
soaring as the sun sinks on
a cumbrian lake
–
reflections-
autumn leaves
in the water

crabs in the shallows-
a hidden sandbar barely
revealed by the tide
–
onshore breeze-
knots of seaweed
drying in the sun

a sudden silence
painful accusations still
hanging in the air
–
tiny monarchs-
weightless
milkweed seeds

in the far distance
gunmetal mountains embossed
on an ashen sky
–
cherry blossoms-
jagged peaks float
above leaden clouds

I won’t bet my life
on a roll of the dice but
I’ll take my chances
–
parting clouds-
hoof prints
in the damp soil

a shaft of sunlight-
the autumnal equinox
finally arrives
–
apple harvest-
lengthening shadows
mark the time

herds of fallen leaves
stampeding across my yard
following the wind
–
lakeside-
leaves crisping
beneath my feet