Elemental – Page 13

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

as the sun goes down-
I turn the final pages
of this well worn book
–
a ashen moon-
mist descends
upon the moors

white flecks of sea foam
spraying off the ocean waves
and the rising tide
–
onshore winds-
smell of salt
and the sea

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

a beer in my hand
cut grass drying on the lawn
as the clouds pass by
–
muted laughter-
steaks sear
over glowing coals

afternoon hours spent
talking laundry off the line
ahead of the rain
–
the laundromat-
hard plastic chairs
and ennui

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

a quick glimpse into
the recesses of my soul
is all I can bear
–
sinister clouds-
reflections of
black water

as venus rises
the sun on the horizon
sets the trees aglow
–
western fires-
too soon dowsed
by a deluge of stars

the knife in my back
carved the windows in the walls
I’d built for myself
–
creeping ivy-
ruins of stone
foundations