Evening

a thief in the night-
sleep steals into the room and
takes me unawares
–
cunning-
the sly sofa
steals my will

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

ephemeral rain-
bird songs echo from the trees
in the fading light
–
twilight-
a grove
of amber

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

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

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

trash cans at the curb
the stars at my back as I
walk back up the drive
–
upended bins-
a bandit masked
in the moonlight

a wine glass empty
save for the mark your lips made
when kissing the rim
–
thick woolen socks-
a spark jumps
between our lips

wolves of stone and snow
insubstantial in the light
of the forest moon
–
rising embers-
mournful howling
in the distance