Peace – Page 36 – Iron Haiku

building my fortress
I bury my emotions
beneath the first stone
–
cacophony-
late night frogs
in my stone walls

white flecks of sea foam
spraying off the ocean waves
and the rising tide
–
onshore winds-
smell of salt
and the sea

white on shades of blue-
the day ends as sailors tire
of chasing the wind
–
moonlight-
sailboats crease
the black water

the small of your back
illuminated softly
by a slice of moon
–
waterfall-
hair cascading
across my pillow

the sea my old friend
greets me with crushed oyster shells
rough beneath my feet
–
driftwood-
seagulls loiter
above the surf

glints of green and gold
hummingbirds in the neighbor’s
honeysuckle vine
–
lilacs-
delicious
in the wind

afternoon hours spent
talking laundry off the line
ahead of the rain
–
the laundromat-
hard plastic chairs
and ennui

the stones in my path
used to build a foundation
keeping me grounded
–
peace-
rain runs off
the temple roof

my soul recoils from
the cold skeletal touch of
the angel of death
–
twilight-
fireflies lead me
across the river

almost a year clean
yet I still have a hard time
passing by the spoons
–
closing time –
club soda
my paltry reward