Dark gnarly branches twisting upwards
Dividing, narrowing
The slender twigs giving shape
A shadowed silhouette
With backdrop of fire
As blazing sunset ignites
The skeleton tree
Rising above the sun’s flames
A raven on wing
Soaring high it encircles
Then alights atop
The skeleton tree
Stripped clean of leaves
Now crowned with feathers
The raven perches on highest bough
A self-created wooden throne
The Raven King
With majestic robes
Of glossy feathers
Iridescent, illuminated by
Gleaming reflections
The Raven King silently watching
Waiting for nightfall
As sunset’s glow dims
Daylight fades
Pulled into shadows
Darkness like the raven’s wings
Descends upon earth
Sunset’s flame extinguished, the air cools
We shiver then freeze
As a single cry shatters silence
The Raven King speaks
A warning sign
Sound covers silence
As darkness covers light