Storm’s Embrace

Winds rage,
and rain lashes window frames.
You stand enveloped by the grey.
Peonies crash to the grass
like bloodstains on a page;
bursting like hearts
in the emptiness of space.
You can taste the ozone
like the storm’s breath
after a warm embrace.
It’s currents hold you,
but even you can escape.
You just have no desire to give chase.

But, Storms do not stay,
and the remnants of the flowers
leave behind red stains.
You’re left empty handed
with the sun in your face,
and the steamy scent of asphalt
ruining the taste
of the rain that fell into your
open mouth and
tore your mask away.

JL©2015

Imminent Flight

Wingless and alone,
walking blindly
into the unknown.
Mute and missing
the music of birdsong.

Staring into the storm,
there is alluring space
between the rain clouds
and the mist, and
the darkness on your face.

No place left to go,
you walk corridors
of forgotten institutions;
archaic knowledge littering
walls that resemble your flesh.

Your true journey
is within the scarred chambers
of a tenacious heart
that beats in time
with your anxious mind.

You stand quaking,
ancient memories beckon.
No one guards the open doors,
but you feel the heat
of a dragon’s tongue.

The air burns brighter,
dryer than the storm’s grey face;
flaying your skin
as you shift into shadow,
moving towards grace.

Cocooned and shrouded,
closer to your truth,
wrapped up in darkness
it’s impossible to see
your imminent flight.

~JL©2015