Shadow – Page 14 – Iron Haiku

slowly fading coals-
the clink of empty bottles
being put to bed
–
indigo sky-
crickets singing
around the campfire

a beast of burden-
the cold weight of my shadow
pins me to the past
–
shadow boxes-
beetle’s wings
on display

stone temple ruins-
echoes of ancient bronze bells
call the monks to prayer
–
summer sunlight-
wending through
the splintered roof

turkey tail mushrooms-
beauty found within decay
and reclamation
–
in the dark-
nimble fingers pick
the mushroom harvest

living on the edge –
tasting the forbidden fruit
and consequences
–
future regrets-
I send a drink
down the bar

a rusting iron gate-
beyond the overgrown path
crumbling headstones
–
bristlecone pines-
deeply rooted
to the earth

late sun at our backs
walking the path before us-
intertwined shadows
–
passing time-
in the corners
collecting shadows

the burning red orb
casts its gaze about the land
hard and unblinking
–
ragweed-
my eyes swollen
and gritty

her worn threadbare coat-
piles of bread crumbs spread between
the bird lady’s feet
–
a park bench-
sparrows land
on my shoulder

the village emptied
bodies lay unburied with
no one left to mourn
–
tumbleweeds-
sun scoured bones
picked clean