Darkness – Page 77

as one with her tree
longing for the one true love
she can never have
–
high in the branches
she watches him
ride away

staring at the stars
she walks in the warm surf while
winds tousle her hair
–
herring gulls
skimming on the
offshore breeze

physically drained
emotionally wiped out
I have no spoons left
–
driftwood
beaten by
the surf

the rain’s heady scent
rolls in on the thickened air
of the coming storm
–
hummingbirds
weave the air above
a honeysuckle vine

hatred is poison
turning ignorance and fear
into pure evil
–
meandering river
crocodiles wait
just below the surface

the wetland chorus
a glorious counterpoint
to my daily grind
–
a Hooded Warbler
wakes me with
flights of fancy

no matter how far
the vanishing road takes me
I always return
–
nirvana awaits
yet I’m not
quite ready

twisted roots reach out
from the dappled forest floor
to steal my footing
–
mangroves
arise from the bayou
on tangled bones

shades from dark to pale
each made up of the other
standing arm in arm
–
frigid night
streaks of fire
light the sky

black and blue and bruised
pinned to the ropes but fighting
for our very souls
–
a hard rain
drenches all
with no regard