floating and leaving no trace
full moon
but i’m not going to get
all lon chaney jr. on you
no sudden transformation
not much of a wolf
not much of a man, either
not likely to change
this little light of mine
i’m going to let it shine
no teeth and no fur
(except on my back)
and a useless heart
(except as a clock)
you can keep me around
as a paperweight
big as an eclipsed moon
and as inviting
the clouds wandered in
while i was eating
distracted by all the carbs
and the waitresses’ uniforms
at the saloon
i managed to make it
across the street in time
to see a single finger of lightning
touch the ground
out beyond the town
thunder rolled into me
like i was made of dried wood
and the drops fell heavy and fat
old silver mining town
more famous for murder
washed for the moment clean
the mining town is full of ghosts
phantom families drifting
from shop to shop
buying ice cream
that evaporates in this heat
ghost workers and tour guides
repeating their lines on a loop in
this rough and disheveled tourist trap
not even the original town
recreated with old haunted wood
spirit that i am
i pay my money for the mine tour
and the train ride
and wish for a real ghost
to glide out of the shadow
of the mountain
it was a cute mnemonic to remember
how the grand canyon was formed
over millions of years
DUDE–deposit, uplift, downcutting, erosion
standing at the edge
(there are very few places with rails)
you can see the strata where layer upon layer
settled in an ancient ocean
each line is an ancient mouth whispering
how many people go over the edge?
(i hear the question, and voice it myself)
a dozen on average in a year
usually someone trying to get a good photo
but it is the whisper, you see
we’ve done it all for you, is what it says
taken on the burden of it all
and you can just let go
in a safeway checkout line
a husband and wife
she argues
with the checker about
a two for one deal on something
steaks, i don’t know
i’m too busy focusing on the man’s eyes
crazy and glassy
i’ve seen them before
meth eyes
brain damage eyes
eyes too open
stuck on the surprise setting
but so unfocused
a truck could run him down and he wouldn’t know
until he tried to stand up
yet
he is the one not arguing
saying okay as he emerges from a fog
and pays the bills
while his wife angrily shoves food
in the bags
and walks off
deafened by thunder
blinded by lightning, we fall
drowning in this rain
——
RonovanWrites
Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt
Challenge #96 Lightning&Rain
I felt like doing a reading. I think I got my quiet voice on. I like it. It’s a cross of Garrison Keillor and Norman Bates.
Crow on not ruining you
the earth spins when you speak
i wonder about my weakness
why i can’t excise these
inner ear bones
that twist the world
under my feet
when your mouth opens
when your tongue glides
across your teeth
afterward, after words
i hear rushing blood
river rapids in my head
i think is it my heart
turning on a shaft
a waterwheel churning in my chest
flooding my veins
with turbulence
——
The Daily Post
The Daily Prompt: Chaos
https://dailypost.wordpress.com
i’m always relieved to see you smile
it means that i didn’t ruin you
(this is a song that i sing to myself)
i used to only hum it but i learned the words
so i could write it down
so i could write a chorus
so i could play guitar during a round at camp by a fire
but i never learned guitar
but i hated camp
but there’s not enough money to get me to lead a round
of anything
you are roses freshly and newly bloomed
and i am the mud staining the thorns
the blemish of mildew on the leaves
aphids attaching and draining
and your smile is the fragrance that spins my head
and if my head were to come clean off
it would sing my song
and i would not regret it
it wasn’t a traditional knife
that he held in his hand
not consecrated, holy, or blessed
not even a piece of metal
honed to an edge
yet it was sharp enough
the future and the past
everything would be better
everything would be cleaner
all he had to do
was make the cut
——
The Daily Post
The Daily Prompt: Shadow
https://dailypost.wordpress.com
Words and Feathers 