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.
The river runs freely again
No man beneath its frozen surface.
Snakes dance across the grass
Weeds fight with wildflowers for dirt hegemony
Weeds fight with wildflowers for dirt hegemony
At last the bluebirds came back to their happiness.
And so did I.
And so did I.
