the winter lurks in the chilled November air
a harbinger of bone weary temperatures
flooded with the moisture in the cold
that informs our bones
of where it is we are
and how it is we dare\
dare January to disappear
for just a month or a whole year
a mild trepidation of lunacy
against a longing to skate right through
this winter on opaque outdoor ice
blades singing, crackling
with the rancor of an
adolescents weight\
only a minor search for fate
in this vacuous thinning air
of deepest winters chest
open shrouds of white
natures downy thrust of insulation
challenges, urging themselves on us
the slush compiling like useless data
dampness filling the space\
Its making Canada complete
in the throes of February's heaves
furnaces constantly clicking in
chimneys breathing white whiskey clouds
giving homes their air of dignity
a northern peace achieved
in silent aplomb
every few suburban feet
a spirit wafting that
cannot be chased
but your winter gait
in the moons lit path
is your own print stamped in crispness
smooth as the skate that kept you
in balance movement true
as the melt we await.
Nov 06
