Silence in the Dark, A Tanka Sequence

the Faith Saves sign
on the manicured lawn
of a white church...
in its long shadow
one dog mounts another

in the shade
of a wooden cross
the mute man cries
with his trembling hands
I was abused as a child

bang! bang! bang!
shatters this midsummer night
lingering
in the moist air
Knockin' on Heaven's Door

at daybreak
as I remember the look
in his eyes...
did he see the face of God
in cherry blossoms?

Lynx, XXVIII:2, June 2013