Darkness – Page 37

a warm summer eve
mists gather in pools that drip
from the temple roof
–
temple stairs-
stone dragons
cloaked in moss

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

late sun at our backs
walking the path before us-
intertwined shadows
–
passing time-
in the corners
collecting shadows

the burning red orb
casts its gaze about the land
hard and unblinking
–
ragweed-
my eyes swollen
and gritty

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

sand hill cranes glide through
frost smoke on a mountain lake
as the day begins
–
coming ashore-
fog blankets
the lighthouse

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

moonlight in the trees-
silently a cold wind shifts
shadows on the snow
–
long shadows-
the warm wind
walks me home

ghosts of the future
block my way and haunt me with
all I could have been
–
heavy rain-
our great oak
uprooted