Sadness – Page 24 – Iron Haiku

crawling out of bed
passing by the hall mirror
my reflection gone
–
the dead of night-
awaiting your
invitation

I may seem nice but
if I had my way I’d carve
the meat from your bones
–
desperate thirst-
lions in the
tall grass

trying to balance-
one foot on the precipice
of your adulthood
–
the arc of the sun-
change made
in a single day

a roadside vigil-
flowers for a young man turned
forever nineteen
–
sudden silence-
shell casings
in the grass

beauty and danger
your small delicate flower
surrounded by thorns
–
clearing haze-
following the trail
of blood diamonds

the magic kingdom-
selling scraps of happiness
at a fat profit
–
finally awake-
finding nothing
behind the curtain

echoes in the walls-
this unfurnished apartment
hiding its secrets
–
harvest moon-
cool wind
in the corn field

the front door ajar-
shards of glass litter the hall
of my ruined home
–
crows take wing –
a fir crashes
to the forest floor

late into the night-
pouring over lesson plans
and student papers
–
a clenched fist-
time still runs
through my fingers

a raging torrent-
black water choked with debris
and bad memories
–
murky waters-
stirring up
the past