Darkness – Page 50

shutting out the crowd
absolutely enthralled by
the shape of your words
–
rising moon-
night rolls over
the winter hills

ahead of the dawn
plodding bleary eyed into
an ashen twilight
–
flannel sheets-
coyotes barking
before the sunrise

the sharp metal screech
of the trolley’s brakes snaps me
from my reverie
–
silver moonlight-
a screech owl perched
outside my window

putting down the phone
the harsh meaning of your words
doesn’t register
–
distant rain-
unexpected
lightning

my cupped hands hiding
the glow of a cigarette
behind the garage
–
cold rain-
ignoring my phone
before last call

delicate saplings-
bending to the fickle will
of the winter wind
–
bare branches-
a light dusting
of fresh snow

by her bedroom door
listening to my daughter
cry herself to sleep
–
leafless boughs-
no resistance to
the howling winds

november evening-
skeletal trees charcoal black
in the fading light
–
graveyard’s edge-
bone fingers
in the mist

you can take my heart
and do with it what you will
I’m finished with it
–
driftwood-
sand dunes
strewn by the wind

cold and sterile rooms-
the emptiness of being
alone here with you
–
makeshift rafts-
icy waters
devoid of life