rain haiku

a clothes line draped
in fresh water pearls
after the rain

Strauss 2010

Thirst and the Nocturnal Captive

There's an oasis on the other side of the room.
My parched mouth yearns for it.
It is just beyond reach.
The more I acknowledge it's existence
The drier my mouth becomes;
The quicker my salivary well retreats.
But at this hour,
The tiny warden forbids my partaking
in activities that should end such suffering.
He requires stillness to enable slumber.

Patiently
I wait the surrender of weary infant eyes.
The moment they do succumb
I shall leap from this bedside incarceration;
Seize that cup in desperate hand
And gulp down a torrent of cool liquid relief,
Sounding my liberated pleasure
With a deep and satisfying AHHHHHHHHH!

I hope I don't wake the warden.

© Strauss 2010

Untitled

Magnify my eyes and you will see,
My iris is a slowly ticking clock;
My pupils, the setting sun.

© Strauss 2010