Death – Page 9 – Iron Haiku

the whiteness of bone
long buried in the desert
revealed by the wind
–
summer evening-
dogwood petals
in the grass

the fifth of July
a time for reflection on
what we have become
–
saguaro cactus-
a small sneaker
in the sand

above the highway
a red tailed hawk circling
riding the thermals
–
hunting-
an osprey plummets
to the sea

a viking long boat
trailing ash and smoke floating
towards valhalla
–
central park-
cigar ashes on
the chess board

my open window-
from the red barn a white owl
asks me one question
–
transfixed-
the field mouse stares
at his death

waiting for the sea-
an ancient mariner mourns
the arriving tide
–
bedraggled skies-
limp with rain over
an unkempt sea

in a shadow box
fragments of my broken heart
preserved and on display
–
shimmering heat-
pools of water
just out of reach

offshore thunderstorms-
an old salt returns to the
bosom of the sea
–
crimson skies
a funeral boat
adrift and alight

a fallen cedar
rotting in the undergrowth
turning back to earth
–
soft underfoot-
a carpet of
rotting leaves

softly he sings-
the workday forgotten as
he tends his bonsai
–
an empty bench-
pigeons await
her arrival