Faith – Page 13 – Iron Haiku

mired in the past
endlessly forced to repeat
the sins of my youth
–
born of fire-
ashes rise
into the night

staring at myself-
the bottom of a shot glass
looking back at me
–
oasis-
an empty carcass
in the sand

hard conversations
and a tongue well versed in the
dialogue of death
–
cherry blossoms-
walking the garden
with just enough poison

stalks of winter wheat
growing through the rusty frame
of an old tractor
–
rising light-
a tattered scarecrow
greets the sun

autumn mornings spent
polishing the temple bells
as the sun rises
–
robins-
footprints in
the morning dew

pleading for my life-
attempting to atone for
the wrongs that I’ve done
–
morning dew-
my sins cast
upon the water

a sudden silence
painful accusations still
hanging in the air
–
tiny monarchs-
weightless
milkweed seeds

I won’t bet my life
on a roll of the dice but
I’ll take my chances
–
parting clouds-
hoof prints
in the damp soil

a shaft of sunlight-
the autumnal equinox
finally arrives
–
apple harvest-
lengthening shadows
mark the time

the pen freshly inked
yet hesitating over
whose name is written
–
falling leaves-
unheard, a hawk
passes overhead