the trees are covered in ice
it is early morning
the air is frigid
the day will warm
and the ice will melt
the trees are covered in ice
it is early morning
the air is frigid
the day will warm
and the ice will melt
the trees are covered in ice
it is early morning
the air is frigid
the day will warm
and the ice will melt
it continues
and continues
the winter solstice
is still days away
it gets dark so early
this time of year
i light the wood stove
before dusk
summer teases us
days stretch
on and on
and we fall asleep to
crickets and humidity
now the nights are long
they are full of
animal urges
and cravings
i imagine us
two naked bodies
intertwined on the floor
giving way to our
primordial needs
our flesh
illuminated only by the
flickering flame of the
wood stove
is it
very late
no
just barely dusk
see that paling
sky
come now
back
to bed
we don’t hold
time
there
We remove the leaves
before we put the
garden chairs
in the shed
for the winter
dark crimson leaves
paling yellow leaves
and leaves
that have already
turned to dust
the kettle begins to whisper
it is morning and it groans
to life as if against its will
my cat nudges my leg
‘i am here’
it seems to says
with no demands on me
a frost has settled
it covers the world
in crystals that flicker
in the shifting morning light
i am torn between
joy and heartache
between running towards
and running away
the jeremiah of the past
is leaving
i am not sure
how to say goodbye
i want to make amends
i want to wrap you up
and tell you of the pain
i was going through
the pain that was the beginning
of my transformation
i want to bring you with me
to carry you over
the jeremiah of the past
fades each morning
fades like the frost crystals
in the shifting morning sun
there is such joy here
in this new world
but the heartache
has followed me
perhaps it will
follow me always
into every new jeremiah
i made gentle movements
drawing lines
breath upon breath
in dreams i part my lips
extend my arms
only to cradle the night
the white night-shirt
in my sock drawer
no longer carries
your scent
when it did
i always found
it hard to describe
the smell
of the lacy
garment
the scent was not only
of perfume
but of a body
not only of a
body but of a soul
a soul that
held me in such a way
i wanted so desperately
to keep the smell
wrapped up within the
fibers
wound tightly into the
silken threads
but it didn’t hold
try as i might
it didn’t hold
now winter has arrived
and the delicate cloth
is the color of the snow
and lost within
the bleakness
of memory
