Hard Winter at the River and then Spring

Toads tunneled into the dirt

Trees stripped to the bone

Turtles sank beneath the muck

And so did I.

Green things and brown things

All the feathered things

Hid from that winter

Death arrived on the Flatrock, figurative and literal

Cruel to beast and man and watcher

Happiness mourned for the warmth

Time waited buried in snow and sleet

Bleak was the winter’s adjective

Endless the object of every sentence.

A frigid holiday forgot its gifts

No cheer as Christ’s day came and went

Come the New Year, still no relief.

Headlights dimmed in the cold

Pipes froze in the basement

Coyotes howled in the night

Winter poked and jabbed

Trees fell at its feet

All the live things shriveled, wondering how to survive

And so did I.

...

And yet I did. . .

...

At last, spring has bidden the sun

And the turtles onto logs

Tree frogs revived, proclaiming their survival.

Icy gray to verdant green
The river runs freely again
No man beneath its frozen surface.

Snakes dance across the grass
Weeds fight with wildflowers for dirt hegemony

At last the bluebirds came back to their happiness.

And so did I.

And so did I.