Darkness – Page 73

dressed in homespun
with an old straw broom, barefoot
sweeping the dirt floor
–
breaking sun
moist soil on
the coffin’s lid

a fire in the hearth
the snap of the autumn air
echoes in the flames
–
dying coals
fire orchids
in full bloom

running on instinct
pure adrenaline, and a
case of diet coke
–
pewter moonlight
silver fish turn
in pools of mist

a wolf’s low howling
echoes down the canyon walls
mournful and hollow
–
bathed in sunlight
a new swallowtail
unfurls it’s wings

on the horizon
thunderclouds loom low, heavy
with impending rain
–
pounding drums
turning slowly to
polite applause

as dawn approaches
the breath of autumn whispers
in the swirling leaves
–
barefoot at dawn
walking in the surf
I draw you closer

as night turns to day
the glow of the morning star
hidden by the dawn
–
last night’s coals
by my breath
flare to life

steering through the shoals
drawn in by the siren’s song
of my flannel sheets
–
coveting
the cool side
of her pillow

working the block plane
paper thin curls of maple
littering the floor
–
a snowy owl
gliding silently
across the night

a symbol of strength
welcoming travelers that
seek her destruction
–
in the forest
of fallen oaks
a sapling grows