Death

absent mourning doves-
I wander aimless around
this cold empty house
–
twelve years gone-
still missing your
hair in the sink

the hand of darkness
dragging down the daylight as
the sun lies dying
–
ruthless sun-
vultures wait
in the thermals

days slowly passing-
the pain of every heartbeat
keeping me alive
–
raucous crows-
the carcass bears
silent witness

my blood in the sink-
I should be panicking but
I can’t feel the pain
–
tendrils of fog-
undisturbed by the hooves
of a pale horse

with a poisoned pen
I write stories in the blood
of the innocent
–
desert sagebrush-
rattlesnakes hidden
in plain sight

gentle snow falling
a dog at his owners grave
clawing at the earth
–
winter evening-
your rocking chair
empty

my sins behind me
wrapped in white linen steeped in
your divinity
–
under water-
the surface
receding

my soul recoils from
the cold skeletal touch of
the angel of death
–
twilight-
fireflies lead me
across the river

blind and deaf old men
sit in darkened boardrooms and
beat the drums of war
–
black water-
death waiting
on the far bank

cold and sterile rooms-
the emptiness of being
alone here with you
–
makeshift rafts-
icy waters
devoid of life