Summer – Page 24 – Iron Haiku

to ease your burden
I’ll stand by your side a while
and shoulder your load
–
distant clouds-
fences in need
of mending

an outdoor cafe
she watches the passersby
sipping her water
–
bare foot sun-
luminous in
a sheer skirt

an aging lighthouse
stands sand blasted and buried
by the walking dunes
–
frigid winds-
the predawn
desert frost

a glowering moon-
the creak of a rocking chair
in an empty house
–
moonlit shadows-
your hand
pale in mine

high flying embers
remnants of a prior life
slowly turn to ash
–
distant thunder-
lightning strikes
a joshua tree

from this day forward
two lives bound together by
simple bands of gold
–
rich brown earth-
massive oxen
yoked together

in a basement bar
the windows dirty with time
drinking my coffee
–
sheets of rain-
a community
of strangers

reeds and rushes-
a warm tide ebbs from the marsh
and runs to the sea
–
sea glass-
walking the beach
at low tide

as my eyesight fades
I think I finally see
my destination
–
a grey heron-
motionless in the
standing water

staring at the floor
scuffed and worn beneath my seat
from those in my shoes
–
dawn breaks-
outside the
waiting room