Broken – Page 23 – Iron Haiku

slowly going blind-
refusing to believe in
what I cannot see
–
black velvet-
eyes wide open
to the night

living on the edge –
tasting the forbidden fruit
and consequences
–
future regrets-
I send a drink
down the bar

all the leaves scattered
standing despite itself but
rotten at the core
–
a forest altar-
oaken pews
standing empty

monsters in my head
clamor at the gates of hell
screaming to be let out
–
the hiss of rain-
slow scratching
under my bed

the edge of the moon
nicks the night sky and reveals
the bare hint of light
–
cloaked in darkness-
betrayed by
a cigarette

shut in this fortress
long days spent looking over
my kingdom of sand
–
rising tides-
my castle begins
to crumble

hallucinations-
my ephemeral partners
along for the ride
–
water lilies-
a pond dimpled
by dragonflies

as the sun goes down-
I turn the final pages
of this well worn book
–
a ashen moon-
mist descends
upon the moors

a rippling sky
cast in all directions by
a child’s rubber boots
–
parting clouds-
blue jays bathe
in tiny ponds

the village emptied
bodies lay unburied with
no one left to mourn
–
tumbleweeds-
sun scoured bones
picked clean