Stone Shadows
crossing the mountains JH
a broken path leads away
from the crescent moon
finding my place HA
another lost trail of butterflies
shapes in the mist JH
my compass needle
points back at me
echoes of time HA
rupturing my purple skin
star tracking JH
in the company of stones
the path darkens
lost in the trail HA
of an irregular galaxy
bent double JH
stumbling again and again
into reality
dark circles HA
pushing me toward annihilation
coming to a halt JH
at the glacier’s base
terminal moraine
melting point HA
jumping from one delusion to another
shadow walker JH
stepping out of myself
into myself
listening to my voice HA
in the dark abyss of anonymity
stumbling forward JH
I still cannot outrun
my shadow
another dark line HA
overstepping the unknown boundary
still silence JH
I move ever deeper
between light and dark
beyond the horizon HA
my soul falls like a falling star
even the abyss JH
has darker corners
the edge beckons
the crimson sky HA
blends with the dark
teetering over jh
petals of night
my stone in the well
silhouette of ravens HA
rippling echoes of the heart
-------------
Moonfall Horizon
love saga HA
the interwoven threads
of shimmering waves
in our orbit jh
yesterday’s dreams
back and forth HA
my thoughts reflect
on the silver orb
melancholy spells jh
starlight trapped in the dark
midnight vigil HA
arcing the sky
spirals of light
moonfall moment jh
words lost to the sea
Hifsa Ashraf, Rawalpindi, Pakistan (HA)
John Hawkhead, Bradford on Avon, United Kingdom (jh)
the QuillS, Issue 7, December 2020
