Afternoon – Page 10

steel axe and wedges-
an awful lot of effort
for a pile of wood
–
first snow-
chipmunks bedded
in the wood pile

a weathered park bench
waiting on the bus a child
takes the time to sit
–
early afternoon-
pigeons gather by
an empty bench

hourglass summer-
memories of time we spent
slip through my fingers
–
driftwood-
a gull’s shadow
passes by

black ink on paper-
oblivious passengers
riding the subway
–
a soft gong-
the model changes
position again

an incoming storm-
thunderclouds vent their anger
on an iron sea
–
hard driving rain-
waves break against
barnacled pilings

awaiting the fall-
swayed by the prevailing winds
rotten at the core
–
scrub grass-
remnants of glass
in peeling sashes

laughter in the air-
mittens and scarves skating past
closed curio shops
–
bistro tables-
bohemian couples
on the grass

stripped down to the waist
sledgehammer and splitting maul
ringing in the sun
–
hazy starlight-
woodsmoke drifts
through the trees

an old shaking hand-
steady as it dips a brush
into the inkwell
–
autumn’s essence-
poems painted
on rice paper

rising car exhaust
lifted on the morning breeze
before dissolving
–
the waning sun-
at the curb
idling