Age – Page 62 – Iron Haiku

clinging to the flames
my mortal sins escape me
carried by the wind
–
absolution
casting bread
upon the water

small talk in their booth
a dinner plate shatters and
she’s back in Iraq
–
turning winds
a yearling doe
prepares to bolt

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

ripped from a deep sleep
waking up in tattered clothes
not sure where I am
–
full moon rising
my true form
no longer hidden

wishing you all peace
in the hope and promise of
the coming new year
–
auburn leaves
a chestnut takes root
in the dampened earth

guiding my journey
walking with the ghost of you
on my chosen path
–
dripping boulders
surging white water
streams diverging

awash in the tide
a ruined galleon lists
her cannons askew
–
prevailing winds
limping home
on torn sails

lacy spanish moss
draping across Savannah’s
majestic live oaks
–
wooden rocking chair
under a porch fan
tatting doilies

sleep so elusive
reliving memories in
my childhood bedroom
–
oppressive heat
clock watching
until sunrise

not quite a woman
and yet no longer a girl
searching for her path
–
fresh snow
treading lightly
in your footprints