Travel – Page 13 – Iron Haiku

a saddle blanket-
the only thing found between
my jeans and my horse
–
horseshoes-
the coal forge
cherry red

coupling freight cars-
clouds of smoke darken the air
throughout the rail yard
–
startled crows-
smoke and coal ash
fill the sky

perfectly flat stones
skipping on a gentle arc
across the water
–
a quiet splash-
willow branches
touch the water

on this lonesome road
my only legacy the
footprints in the dust
–
empty shells-
ocean waves
wash the shore

quarter past midnight-
the breath of the city through
my open window
–
leafless trees-
darkened cars through
the driving rain

the time worn tombstones
children taken far too soon
their stories untold
–
a cardinal takes wing-
poppy blossoms
in the church yard

rolling scottish hills
flecked with distant spots of white
between far stone walls
–
waist high grass-
curious lambs
approach the gate

battlements of stone
rough hewn from the living rock
ever standing guard
–
howling wind
seeking refuge behind
these stone walls

standing in a queue
at the end of my patience
quite unlike this line
–
wind blown sagebrush-
the road I’m on ends
at the horizon

high above the clouds
all my worries down below
so far behind me
–
steaming tarmac-
a double rainbow
delays our flight