Near the woodland marsh,
desperate pleas gargle...

Ravens croon with
ravenous laughter...

Candlelit hearth
splays quivering shadows...

I
As sure as...

If you go fishing by morning light,
there are trinkets and jewels upon the lakeside...

I remove my washable
face-mask and guiltily gulp...

A mimicry
of what it used to be...

A solitary raindrop
rolls down your left cheek...

Water leaks from the ceiling
into a rusty saucepan...

When I see you, I feel disorientated,
like I’ve stepped on the extra stair...