Afternoon – Page 52

a mournful windsong
whispering past long dead oaks-
the forest’s lament
–
graveside rain-
one last leaf
taken by the wind

coupling freight cars-
clouds of smoke darken the air
throughout the rail yard
–
startled crows-
smoke and coal ash
fill the sky

perfectly flat stones
skipping on a gentle arc
across the water
–
a quiet splash-
willow branches
touch the water

ghosts walk the streets of
an abandoned mining town
out of the shadows
–
desert shade-
sand dancing
across the road

anger in the air
reflections in the window
barely ghosts of us
–
cat tails-
the calm surface
minnows just below

near enough to see
daylight fading to the point
where the rain begins
–
tending the garden-
raindrops warm
on my neck

a taste of freedom-
locked within a castle mount
above the meadows
–
afternoon heat-
careful hands
fitting stone

the time worn tombstones
children taken far too soon
their stories untold
–
a cardinal takes wing-
poppy blossoms
in the church yard

rolling scottish hills
flecked with distant spots of white
between far stone walls
–
waist high grass-
curious lambs
approach the gate

standing in a queue
at the end of my patience
quite unlike this line
–
wind blown sagebrush-
the road I’m on ends
at the horizon