Waves

Waves
pounding
undulate.
Rolling thunder,
reverberating
Across the expanse of
some sandy beach that glitters
in the fading twilight of eve.
Seabirds dip their beaks into breakers
that rush forward to greet the waiting shore.

Like tiny urchins scrambling for food,
little crabs scurry to beat the surf
to their nesting spots as egrets
survey the scene with disdain.
Rocks wade in at tide’s edge
their feet covered in
slimy seaweed
and crusty
creatures.
Wet.

Derelict

Old,
weathered
derelict
jutting up from
the dry Texas dirt,
left to rust in the sun
like some giant iron egret.
It stands silent as it casts a
hulking shadow over the landscape.
Once a symbol of money and power.

It has become an ancient Colossus,
squatting like an abandoned relic.
A forgotten monstrosity…
oily, decrepit, tarnished.
No longer relevant,
an antique with no
possible chance
for life in
better
times.

Gossamer Wraith

There is another hidden
and soft as an imagined thing.
Indistinguishable,
perched above the abyss,
silent, never sleeping.
Ever watchful she waits,
drowning in her wanting,
forever on the fringe
of the darkness
that conceals her
from her enemies.
All that is invisible follows her,
laying scattered behind her
like a trail of broken things.
So are the dreams
she once held close.
Relinquished.
A single sigh escapes from
her gossamer existence
like a wispy gasp.
Tattered and weary
she is bent by the wait,
hungry for hope and
needing a reason to breathe.

In The Closet

Sometimes I wish I could find a very dark closet
Or a very deep hole and hide
Once as a child, I got locked in my closet
I was so afraid
Later as a teen, I found refuge within its darkness
I was not happy but I was content

It was the daylight that rattled my senses
And jarred my soul
Poor little lost child
At least that’s what I thought they would say
They never did
Instead they stepped on me
So I found a very dark closet and I hid
Quick as a flash I pulled the door shut tight
And the world went on without me
I was not happy but I was content

Adulthood came
And with it too many people wanting too much
I could never manage for very long
Without going back into the closet
The days got longer and harder to bear
Time crawled
and so did the tears down my cheeks
That did not stop the beatings
Or the pain
Or the anger
But mostly the pain
I was almost lost in it until I realized
That there was a solution
It came to me in a dream
It was a very deep hole
And on the tombstone was my name
I was not happy but I was content.

Author's Note: I did not remember when this was written but I do know that this piece is at least twenty years old.

Viper

Strike me
Quick as a snake
The venom of your smile
Lips that hide
The hideous fangs of death

You tease with hooded eyes
Laughing
Dancing in the darkness
But the poison from your wound
Reaches deep into the soul
I was a fool

She’ll get you too
Striking
Lightening that vanishes
With your heart

Author's Note: This piece was originally written on June 26, 1988

Silent Running

Forget the starlight
To which you were born capture
That which has embraced you
Since The beginning of your time
With sapphire beams
That sprinkled your face
As you drove
Through the silent towns and cities at night
Towns and cities
Which never seemed to breathe
Never seemed to move
But stared back at you
From within their dark windows
And closed doors
Whose moonlit porches
Sneered at you
From within their glowing timbers

Author's Note: This piece was originally written on May 13, 1974

Fragments

Withering, withering away
Frost, leaves, vines
Contracting, constricting
As they expire
Slowly, silently, sadly
Un-nurtured
Lingering longer than they need to
Unwanted
Once glistening and very alive
They lay now
Unattended
To be trampled underfoot
Like so many missed opportunities

The Never Was

Hanging on to nothing
A whisper of a dream
Lost in the remembering
All those long agos
Are gone now
I grapple with the what ifs
And should have beens
Like they actually were
But my heart knows
They will never be
It mourns the moments
That never became
As it meanders longingly
Into unhappily ever after.