Afternoon – Page 12

deep in the pine boughs
two gray squirrels chase each other
around the tree trunks
–
gray squirrel-
scolding me
from on high

the cruel midday sun-
neat rows of old cars in their
final rusting place
–
high noon-
steam billows from
my open hood

clouds in the water
far on the opposite shore
the blue pump house roof
–
changing leaves
painted at the
waterline

early autumn storms-
dark roiling thunderclouds vent
their mottled fury
–
distant thunder-
a cloud of starlings
darken the sky

months of sundays gone-
I still just can’t get used to
sleeping without you
–
autumn winds-
the restless swirl
of fallen leaves

afternoon sunlight-
an old man and his grandson
asleep on the floor
–
sunday mornings-
step stool by the sink
shaving together

my bedside vigil-
each moment slipping away
taking you with them
–
machines hum-
outside your window
a starless night

hanging on a strap-
the city moves beneath me
though I’m standing still
–
railway sidings-
rusting beasts
long since dead

vampires do exist-
in fact I’m sure one lives in
this overstuffed couch
–
the forest floor-
twigs and sticks snap
underfoot

a stone foundation
the remnants of a sawmill
lost to the forest
–
after the fire-
the chimney casts
a long shadow