Sanctuary
dead calm envelops me
moist morning fog
adrift on the water
wraps ’round me
like a cool blanket
it muffles the sounds
of daybreak’s industry
alone with my thoughts
in peaceful privacy
safe anonymity
the regrets of last night
dim and fade
this brief sanctuary
a soothing balm
so welcome
at the start of this heavy day
~ ~ ~
rob kistner © 2012
No Respite
relentless din of crawling prowling night
pours steaming through my window
midnight intrudes damp and searing
insistent
scalded air too hot and thick to breathe
a heat to suffocate
blades beat and drone overhead
promising relief
in vain
sweltered darkness lays heavy upon me
unbearable
I toss in labored half-sleep
gasping for cool relief
restless
I inhale deep to fill my lungs
seeking satisfying breath
only to bake them in cruel heat
no relief
salted droplets trace my spine
baste my neck
pool in the hollow of my fevered chest
bloom and seep
from beneath the smother
of matted soak atop my head
to weep their way ‘cross smoldering brow
into my eyes
and sting
in this nocturnal furnace
night clings and stifles
even dreams are scorched
simmering in August
~ ~ ~
rob kistner © 2012