Distance – Page 19

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

born of the mountains
falling over age worn stone
scattering the sun
–
summer solstice-
roaring water
fills my ears

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

cold mountain water-
a riverbed lined with stones
tumbled smooth by time
–
the forest green-
a whispering brook
shares its secrets

as day turns to night
the sun gives her dying light
to the mountain tops
–
mountain peaks-
aging temples
streaked with snow

red stiletto heels
peeking out from underneath
the hem of her skirt
–
silk stockings-
black lines trace
the curve of her calves

low rolling thunder-
lightning crawls across the sky
rattling windows
–
summer night-
the sky lit by
heat lightning

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