SNOW
The soft lust of snow,
White imprints against the trees,
Diamond juice, clean, responsible,
And when the great melt comes,
We lean against the rain,
A grand mist gathering into us
Like breath, like yellow light
At the corner, each tick
Another stream to the sea,
Flickers of color in fields of cloud.
THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS
The day after Christmas
She let go of every gift heavy within her
Like a gasp of air early in the morning.
Ten pounds to freedom, she told her friend on a ship in Hawaii ,
And I feel as if most of my weight has been lifted.
She was cooking oatmeal in a great pot
And hot chocolate in a smaller one
And a holiday card absent an envelop lay open on her laptop
Like a great tern.