Life – Page 128 – Iron Haiku

don’t gamble on me
there’s far too much at stake and
you don’t know the score
–
what you see
I choose
to show

longing for the time
when there is no one to please
and nowhere to be
–
cherished,
those few minutes
between calls

faded cutoff shorts
bare feet out the car window
hair teased by the wind
–
hot skin
cool sheets
and promises

I’m never alone
my ally, my enemy
you’re always with me
–
ever present
that little voice
of self doubt

adrift in the tide
seagulls carving lazy arcs
through the azure sky
–
becalmed,
awaiting the moon
and the fish

a cold winter night
staccato rain on the roof
you, keeping me warm
–
winter’s eve
with you, I’m
warm inside

freshly mown spring grass
a frog hops to the safety
of an old stone wall
–
the bull frog
peeks out from
behind a stone

in grape arbor
a cardinal seeks shelter
from the driving rain
–
secluded
deep within
my wine glass

an old wind wanders
aimlessly, its raspy voice
barely a whisper
–
dry leaves
huddle
in the corner

drowning in darkness
heaved out and left on the rocks
gasping for the sun
–
sinking…
yearning for
the surface