Iris walks a dark path
between bravado
and flight of fear
stepping softly
between the grenades
she thinks
are being lobbed
into her path
from behind
her left shoulder
always looking
out from beneath
a stray lock
draped over
her sad smile
as she walks.
Iris lives silently
a song in her head
unspoken lyrics
and a rhythm
only she hears
echoing in the corridors
of brick
and broken plaster
that line her life
dripping with water
fouled by the sidewalk
before sluicing down
through the storm drain
to where her steps
take her down the stairs
to the dark path below.
ml’25
(deep thoughts from long ago – original image by Alex_Bon on Pixabay)