Chance – Page 43 – Iron Haiku

ice over fresh snow
the delicate crust holds me
momentarily
–
warm green grass
a raindrop rolls
down my cheek

living day to day
ignoring where I’ve been and
what the future holds
–
frost on the grass
awake in the dark
breathless and immobile

with help, exploring
the haunted attic spaces
deep within my mind
–
dancing alone
the ghosts
of past lovers

stumbling badly
pausing on the precipice
of complete collapse
–
smooth sailing
seeking freedom
from consequence

reaching through the gloom
seeking the humanity
common to us all
–
a red call box
tendrils of fog
climbing the ivy

alone on the sea
caught in a tempest’s fury
far from her home port
–
an unfamiliar bed
the southern cross
in the night sky

distant sirens wail
slowly I realize that
you’re not coming home
–
a warm shower
startled awake
by the telephone

my lantern’s warm glow
shadows cast into the night
back from whence they came
–
shafts of sunlight
dust motes
lazily float by

on the river bank
the flashing of fireflies
set the trees alight
–
soaring gulls
an empty shell
half in the sand

flashes light the sky
the guttural wind, distant
whither comes the storm
–
laid bare
desperately
seeking shelter