Distance – Page 35

who will stand and speak
when there is such injustice
if not I then who?
–
angry seas-
ramshackle rafts
adrift and lifeless

living on the edge –
tasting the forbidden fruit
and consequences
–
future regrets-
I send a drink
down the bar

a rusting iron gate-
beyond the overgrown path
crumbling headstones
–
bristlecone pines-
deeply rooted
to the earth

my journal entry-
today I start another
lap around the sun
–
willow branches-
a crack appears
in the robin’s egg

plying the trade winds-
seeking safe harbor under
an ocean of sky
–
rolling seas-
sails reefed
before the storm

all the leaves scattered
standing despite itself but
rotten at the core
–
a forest altar-
oaken pews
standing empty

hundreds of candles-
an unlit testament to
this empty vigil
–
tumbled stone-
autumn’s first light
warms the piazza

the sun reaches down
and kisses the horizon
at the dawn of dusk
–
spreading warmth-
two more fingers
of liquid gold

the edge of the moon
nicks the night sky and reveals
the bare hint of light
–
cloaked in darkness-
betrayed by
a cigarette

shut in this fortress
long days spent looking over
my kingdom of sand
–
rising tides-
my castle begins
to crumble