Death – Page 16 – Iron Haiku

staring at the clock
trying to understand the
cruelty of time
–
aching for sleep-
minutes collect
in piles on the floor

an autumn sunset-
the shadow of a goshawk
long on the meadow
–
oak leaves-
slipping below
a covered bridge

I can’t sleep at all
visions of the restless dead
inhabit my dreams
–
moon shadows-
a raven robed
in cobwebs

I hit a doorknob
or tripped and fell down the stairs-
I’m just so clumsy
–
an autumn eve-
the sky lit by
a house on fire

sunday afternoon
on the line the week’s washing
left out in the rain
–
empty bottles-
even the baby
has stopped crying

crawling out of bed
passing by the hall mirror
my reflection gone
–
the dead of night-
awaiting your
invitation

I may seem nice but
if I had my way I’d carve
the meat from your bones
–
desperate thirst-
lions in the
tall grass

a roadside vigil-
flowers for a young man turned
forever nineteen
–
sudden silence-
shell casings
in the grass

beauty and danger
your small delicate flower
surrounded by thorns
–
clearing haze-
following the trail
of blood diamonds

the front door ajar-
shards of glass litter the hall
of my ruined home
–
crows take wing –
a fir crashes
to the forest floor