Fear – Page 31 – Iron Haiku

the time worn tombstones
children taken far too soon
their stories untold
–
a cardinal takes wing-
poppy blossoms
in the church yard

sailing the narrows
navigating the graveyards
of nameless seamen
–
rising tide-
waves break
on hidden shoals

dwelling in the past-
bricked up in this house of pain
my arm, my jailer
–
a wasp’s sting-
repeated lies
no longer told

iron seas and skies
sailing into the north wind
my face to the rain
–
solitude-
my paddle dips
into glassy water

mired in my fears
a prisoner of what was
slave to what might be
–
hawk’s shadow
into a deadfall
a rabbit tail

empty eyes soulless-
sliding down the razors edge
between life and death
–
soft rattles-
promises of release
in the tall grass

faces of the dead
constantly with me waiting
for my eyes to close
–
lost souls-
the silence
of the fen

an aging oak tree-
all our sins laid bare beneath
the outstretched branches
–
a shoe in the grass-
the tire swing
motionless

the wind in your hair
miles unspooling behind us
escaping our past
–
needle and thread-
finding holes
in a spider’s web

searching for a trace
of the light behind your eyes
but making my peace
–
afterimage-
the candle
doused