Afternoon – Page 63

an eclipse of moths
dancing around the asters
joyful for the fall
–
october dawn
sycamore seeds
drifting in the breeze

aloft and adrift
floating ever so gently
just out of my grasp
–
innocence
tethered
by a string

an ominous day
dark clouds pass before the sun
portents of ruin
–
stippled hillsides
revealing light and
fleeting shadows

watching you watch me
through heavily lidded eyes
as sleep becomes you
–
brindle underbrush
a chipmunk rests
beneath the leaves

sinking in the marsh
twisted and leafless corpses
wither in the sun
–
restive fish
dipping into
the surface

nubile and supple
and every move reminds me
of my need for you
–
warm afternoon sun
sodden and hungry
awaiting the spawn

dressed in homespun
with an old straw broom, barefoot
sweeping the dirt floor
–
breaking sun
moist soil on
the coffin’s lid

an afternoon walk
the shuffling of footsteps
through the fallen leaves
–
a quiet brook
the sharp snap
of a dry twig