Cold – Page 28 – Iron Haiku

out with the mistress-
his rose garden wilting in
the seething sun
–
my delicate rose-
thorns buried
in my skin

hiding from the sun
living in the shadows while
I curse the darkness
–
the moon obscured-
my ancient thirst
unslaked

my sins behind me
wrapped in white linen steeped in
your divinity
–
under water-
the surface
receding

almost a year clean
yet I still have a hard time
passing by the spoons
–
closing time –
club soda
my paltry reward

an aging lighthouse
stands sand blasted and buried
by the walking dunes
–
frigid winds-
the predawn
desert frost

a glowering moon-
the creak of a rocking chair
in an empty house
–
moonlit shadows-
your hand
pale in mine

staring at the floor
scuffed and worn beneath my seat
from those in my shoes
–
dawn breaks-
outside the
waiting room

lying in my bed
beautiful and poisonous
twisted in the sheets
–
african sun-
death lurks
in the tall grass

wide open prairies
the promise of a new life
in every acre
–
covered wagons-
homesteads built
on sacred land

awake in my bed-
dawn eases through my window
gilding all I see
–
a web of stars-
blackbird songs
invades my dreams