(poem) (TMNT) Lantern on the River's Edge
Lantern on the River's Edge
Summary: Leonardo's state of mind as he practices alone at night
Other info: More haiku in a series. I admit, part of this sudden poetry spurting is because there's awards for it in the fandom (and you know my ego), but also because it's nice to do something in a structured form once in awhile. It feels less sloppy than my fiction. I guess these are like drabbles to me.

~

night beneath the earth
his skill moves him like water
alone in practice

trapped in discipline
locked behind his clan's honor
through cold measured steps

his breath turns to frost
gray sleet rushes through his veins
his swords become ice

sharp bitter slivers
twin extensions of himself
whispers of his thoughts

death's endless river
their clan war merely freezes
and then flows once more

in his heart he knows
one day the war will drown him
either in blood or

in his soul's black ice
where his swords steal his honor
where he finds himself

on the river's edge
his hope flickers in the wind
a dying lantern