Shadow

long evening shadows-
the sun half hidden behind
a stand of live oaks
–
sleepless-
my mind puts flesh
on the shadows

another meeting-
I know your failings so well
as I do my own
–
rain slicked neon-
another club soda
graces my glass

the whiteness of bone
long buried in the desert
revealed by the wind
–
summer evening-
dogwood petals
in the grass

summer afternoon-
the hollow ring of wind chimes
in the stagnant air
–
still water-
minnows gather
beneath the footbridge

moving through aspic
living just outside of time
tired and alone
–
persistent rain-
a raven just
beyond the glass

it’s far too simple-
these old men send the sons of
others to their deaths
–
a spring breeze-
the fog of war
swept out to sea

wind rustles the leaves
and coaxes a dryad’s song
of spring from the trees
–
whispers-
forest giants
shake off the cold

wolves of stone and snow
insubstantial in the light
of the forest moon
–
rising embers-
mournful howling
in the distance

a soul deeply flawed
ichorous and fetid cast
from a broken mold
–
bathing rituals-
filing ewers by
the riverbanks

puppets to a one-
dancing to unheard music
hung from tangled threads
–
skeletal fingers-
pulling taut
the threads of fate