Emotions – Page 30

still she counts the ships-
her thick wool sweater stained red
with the setting sun
–
date night-
she sits at a table
set for one

an old swimming hole-
piles of clothes left abandoned
on the grassy shore
–
a frayed rope swing-
old memories
bittersweet

reliving the past-
why am I drawn back to you
time and time again
–
poison ivy-
the inevitability
of regrowth

your name on my phone-
against my better judgment
I answer the call
–
labor day-
the first taste
of pumpkin spice

in the deep end
endlessly treading water
lest I slip under
–
sand hill cranes-
a bicycle rusts
amid the cattails

slow rhythmic rocking
as I’m drawn deep into you
my lover the sea
–
crying gulls-
lost in your
cold embrace

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

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