Death – Page 34 – Iron Haiku

beauty and horror
entwined around each other
in a spider’s web
–
morning mist-
time passes
red on black

forced conversation-
a glance at his empty chair
then awkward silence
–
oddly quiet-
the azure sky
free of birds

age pierces my side-
gasping as my youth runs out
between my fingers
–
crying crows-
my chest heaving at
mile marker two

reaching for you as
just beyond my memory
you slip from my grasp
–
withered leaves-
parched soil runs
between my fingers

freshly turned earth falls
from the back of my shovel
burying the light
–
overcast skies-
a tenuous flame
turns to smoke

my head on your thigh
searching for divinity
in a sunflower
–
crimson booms
stain the pallid
melting snow

the hum of the road
whispering it’s lullaby
rocking me to sleep
–
empty conch shells-
a rush of warm surf
overcomes me

the scars on your soul-
mementos of battles fought
but never quite won
–
broken silence-
the distant crash
of rutting bucks

The sun sinking low
With only a few breaths left
I’m not wasting them
–
midnight-
skinny dipping
without a care

staring at myself
the mirror reflecting my
wasted innocence
–
shoeless-
a ragged doll
on dusty road