Death

bottles of cognac
cast upon volcanic rock
a gift to pele
–
catharsis-
rivers of fire
run to the sea

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

hiding from the sun
living in the shadows while
I curse the darkness
–
the moon obscured-
my ancient thirst
unslaked

my sins behind me
wrapped in white linen steeped in
your divinity
–
under water-
the surface
receding

such oppressive heat-
my sleeping cat slowly drips
from his windowsill
–
shimmering sand-
false promises
in the distance

my soul recoils from
the cold skeletal touch of
the angel of death
–
twilight-
fireflies lead me
across the river

immaturity-
unsure of how to deal with
my first streaks of gray
–
afternoon light-
test swatches
on the wall

a glowering moon-
the creak of a rocking chair
in an empty house
–
moonlit shadows-
your hand
pale in mine

high flying embers
remnants of a prior life
slowly turn to ash
–
distant thunder-
lightning strikes
a joshua tree

as my eyesight fades
I think I finally see
my destination
–
a grey heron-
motionless in the
standing water