haiku – Page 78 – elancharan gunasekaran

autumn dusk clouds fall in waves of ember and cinder

last breath: the memory of war and fire coils inside as the darkness grows hungry

the crystalline rasp of claws cuts through armored ship hull and sunders the soul

still a part of our deeper consciousness rebels against the well oiled machinations of paradise

mists of day smothers the fire and from the ashes the faceless arise clawing at the hollow of their chest

obsidian beetles carry dead stars across gardens and into the heart of the bonfire

grimoires of old drift beneath grim waters torn pages bloom into kelp and ink slithers away as eels

autumn dawn winds grow in excitement and tree leaves catch fire

each blade forged sings its own funeral and the blacksmith learns the language of death

made of soft bone bugs death and grim orbit the carnal flame of a lantern she carries across the misty stream