Hunger – Page 23 – Iron Haiku

living night to night
afraid of my own shadow
lest I feel the sun
–
crying gulls-
a distant sandbar
bakes in the sun

the battle scarred croc
slips into the black water
with hardly a trace
–
biting cold-
reaching for darkness
through the closing door

the scent of your hair
lingering on my pillow
greets me when I wake
–
freshly cut grass-
dandelion seeds
caught in your hair

before the thunder
a flash of jagged lightning
frozen in the snow
–
august sagebrush-
ravenous flames
insatiable

life can be fickle
hold your lover close tonight
before it’s too late
–
a darkened doorway-
your soft lips hard
against mine

entwined in the sheets
last night you were in my bed
complicating things
–
a cold rain-
leaving alone
at closing time

staring deep into
an empty sheet of paper
conjuring the muse
–
winter’s canvas-
a palette of pine
and fresh snow

grey curls of wet smoke-
the kiss of embers linger
on her ruby lips
–
midnight sweat-
a lazy ceiling fan
stirs the air

bitter grievances
at the holiday table
long past time for peace
–
unrelenting
a winter river
choked with ice

a torn cap worn low
collar turned against the wind
shrouded in darkness
–
a squalid doorway-
scant shelter from
the bitter cold