Animal – Page 48 – Iron Haiku

I shed my skin and
hang another skeleton
deep in my closet
–
alone
with my fetid
alter ego

unkempt and homeless
in need of a shower and
a touch of kindness
–
pray that fate
doesn’t bring you
to my level

a warm summer night
the plaintive cries of a fox
echo from the woods
–
a burrow
tail wrapped
around her kits

it’s just a small cut
and it’s the last time, I swear
until the next one
–
self destruction
a trail of history
on my arms

don’t gamble on me
there’s far too much at stake and
you don’t know the score
–
what you see
I choose
to show

faded cutoff shorts
bare feet out the car window
hair teased by the wind
–
hot skin
cool sheets
and promises

adrift in the tide
seagulls carving lazy arcs
through the azure sky
–
becalmed,
awaiting the moon
and the fish

freshly mown spring grass
a frog hops to the safety
of an old stone wall
–
the bull frog
peeks out from
behind a stone

in grape arbor
a cardinal seeks shelter
from the driving rain
–
secluded
deep within
my wine glass

I wake intent on
fighting an uphill battle
I know I will lose
–
high tide
a turtle shell
lies empty