But as they gazed out
over the darks waters
of the lake,
the darkening scenery
began to twinkle,
and it was as if
the fireflies were coming together
and spelling out a message for them –
reminding them
that there were still mysteries
left unsolved
between the two of them
and that there always would be.

At the very same time,
they turned towards one another
and without any words at all
they let the heavy past
that had burdened them so
slip away;
and they found their way back
into each other’s arms.

– matt at shadow of iris

– matt at shadow of iris

[Human trafficking is a serious problem. Support local organizations like Children of the Night and do what you can to help out.]

Nostalgia
tinged with melancholy
about a time that was
but now will never be.

Heavy hearts that sag
and feel the weight
of actions taken
then regretted;
the past, a frozen thing
unalterable.

Places in the heart
lost and waiting,
take my hand
and lead it towards the light;
a truth outside the truth
always lost.

Dry bones
out in the desert
still searching
for that water.

I don’t know
who you are
so I try to face you
unflinchingly
and to make you feel
not ashamed.

Dry bones
out in the desert
still searching
for some love.

– matt at shadow of iris

– matt at shadow of iris

– matt at shadow of iris

– matt at shadow of iris

Sounds of machines
scraping across the ground,
a haunting whisper
a murmur in the breeze;
something heard
only in the mind
when the wind reaches
just the right pitch.

Voices of yesterday
that call out to me
and warn me
time goes by
fast.

– matt at shadow of iris

– matt at shadow of iris

– matt at shadow of iris

The top official among the government workers,
was a man, who wore a dark, dusty suit
and a necktie to match it;
he had been the first to get out of the wagon,
and he hadn’t once looked at any of the people around him,
but instead jostled individuals out of his way
as he began to set up the barriers;
then with a handful of his crew members
each of whom wore long boots and overalls
and had long, stern faces –
he and the rest had walked about the area
surveying everything carefully
using the special equipment
they had brought along for just such a purpose;
then after some discussion
one of them took out some soft chalk
and carefully following the directions of the top official
drew a large rectangle
that went from one side of the hard dirt street
all the way to the other.

It was after this
that about a dozen men from the wagon –
large burly men with gruff faces,
all jumped out
ready to begin digging with large, impressive shovels;
it took them a good two hours
but eventually they had dug a well sized hole
that indeed stretched from one side of the street
all the way to the other.

Clearly finished with their immediate goal,
they climbed out of the hole
and with the other government men
who’d watched the shovelers carefully
including the top official
they all sat down together to a late breakfast
of crumpets
and tea that was poured out of tin thermoses;
they then took out some tobacco
and after rolling some cigarettes
they very leisurely smoked
barely even exchanging words.

The crowd that had initially gathered
took different forms throughout the morning
sometimes thicker
sometimes thinner
sometimes just people trying to get
from one side of the town to the other;
but constantly there was a flux of people
standing near by
watching
and wondering just what
the government men were doing.

Finally, with their break apparently finished,
the shovelers and other crew members all at once stood up
and dusting the crumpet crumbs from their trousers
they set straight away back to their work;
and to the surprise of everyone
they began to shovel
all that dirt
that they had just dug up
right back into the hole
from which they had just dug it.

The work went faster this time around
the dirt, at this point,
already being soft and easy to shovel;
they were finished well within an hour –
it was around this time
that the ever present crowd had reached its peak,
each person querying the other
as just what was going on.

With the hole finally filled up
the shovelers all hopped back onto the wagon with their shovels
and sat far back in the dark
and began to take out their tobacco so that they could smoke;
the remainder of the crew, as they had in the beginning,
carried out several measurements
with the odd equipment that they had brought along;
then seemingly finished with their obscure task,
they began to pick up the barriers
that had prevented the townspeople from intruding upon them;
and after they had taken their share,
they, too, got back into the wagon;
the top official lingered a moment
and as he removed the very last of the barriers,
the crowd was already moving in upon him
to have a look around
and see if anything had changed.

Finally finished himself
the top official jumped into the back of the wagon
and at first he disappeared
into the shade and smoke,
but as the wagon began to move
he leaned out and looked at all the townspeople;
he tipped his hat
and smiled,
then winked
as the wagon moved away
from the crowd.

— matt at shadow of iris