Halloween

Thorns nettles wasp tails
           sting less than harsh words
or the silence
           of an indifferent lover
or one who betrays
           time’s pledge
or one who rebukes
           with an overzealous tongue

we are all innocents
           until proven guilty
our star-grooved gaze
           fixed upon
the marauding crows
           that hover and cavort
in unvanquished space
           and mortify our dreams

John Lyons