Eosphoros

Eosphoros
Originally uploaded by Archer Braun.

That sweet time before dawn,
Succulent dew hanging heavy on
Bent, green and tender stalks.

Not a whisper of wind, as
All four cardinals wait breathless,
Anticipating the long, slow honey-fall of light.

Darkness shifts slightly, preparing a
Silent exit, backing away, watchful for the
Golden vanguard of the sun.

Patchouli

Patchouli
Originally uploaded by Archer Braun.

The shroud of winter's dull surrender
Clings just inside the doorway
Where the warm promise of summer
Is spent freely in the crackle of autumn wood.

Light, dying, is the best for new beginnings
Shadows are allowed, encouraged to dance
Teasing with possible probables
Promising nothing, delivering illusion.

And beneath a banner of studied courtesy
Lay a hazy dragon of flesh-hot majesty
Dreaming, lucid, watchful and filled with the
Venom of dangerous, gypsy, imagination.

Halcyon

Halcyon
Originally uploaded by Archer Braun.

Endless slate-colored oceans of time
Stretched on an empty dream canvas.

The gentle breath of summer, soothing
A memory of storm-crushed wood and flesh.

Feathers ruffle in the salt-spray of these calm tides.
Glassy-eyed and vacant, save for the dim echo of memories

And the sound of the unsleeping sea.

Altars

Altars
Originally uploaded by Archer Braun.

This beautiful, aching math before me
Twisting in supple calculation
Negating the abscence of pheremones
With the persistence of vision

Ambient, ancient wickedness is stirred to life
Tendrils, snake-like and languid
Fill limbs with grinding purpose
And spill a sudden flood into the mouth

Dinnertime.

Nocturne

Nocturne
Originally uploaded by Archer Braun.

You,
With the haughty resignation of pampered privilege,
Have arrived on these far shores to make demands?

I think not. Oh, no. I most definitely think...

Knot.

Whispers of Amyitis

Whispers of Amyitis
Originally uploaded by Archer Braun.

Shuttered and shuddering,
I have heard you weeping in your quiet way.
Mourning the mists and emerald carpets
Of that faraway homeland.

I will bend the heavens to my will,
Carry the weight of nations on my
Arched shoulders, until your eyes
Behold the cornerstone of my heart.

Behold, what limpid pools and mists
I scatter before you like jewels in this desert.
Drink my heart before me, and slake your
Thirst with this memory of home...

Drift

Drift
Originally uploaded by Archer Braun.

Arterial silences, filled with
Muted staccato thumpings,
The cheap whispers of
Lovers, climbing like thieves,
Up the ropes of passion.

Perched, in quiet consideration,
Sits the corvus of conscience.
Beak shut, eye glittering as he
Watches with an inscrutable grin
The fumblings of liars in love.

Feathers tarred, teeth broken from
The cheap stones of whiskey and pills,
He sits. Not preening, not caring, only
Looking into the spines of those below.
His cracked and weathered talons shift.

He is silent, knowing his call will be lost to the wind.