Black and White
heavy wet snow
sleepy limbs
hover above
the frigid earth
icicles reflect
off the sun's radiant glow
melt as its warmth heightens
teardrops slip
patter on the roof
soft chunks plunge
without a murmur

Yellow light flickers
solo in the colorless landscape
smoke rises into a cold sky
hunter cabin's flame
frosted window
merrymaking clatter
seeps through a crack
men's chanting
celebratory jingles
snug on an arctic day

My last love lyrics
are in your teardrop
mine has little rain
I sink to the mud earth
but always remember your pain

My mood dampens
as the short winter days advance
my inner spirit sinks low
I bury myself with covers
lethargy, loneliness seeps in
darkness stabs me
my patience diminishes
as does the day's light
if I could hasten
this frigid world
my mood ought to soar
to higher ground
as long spring daylight
elevates hope
to those
whose blackness
is hell.

My eyes capture a glimpse
of a Robin Red Breast
who lay at my feet
his breath labored
as is mine
I sink to my knees
my spirit crushed
as is his
we mourn as a pair

His wind ceases
eyes lock
I bury him
under a Sourwood Tree
with raw hands
and blanket him
with rich soil
Fall leaves flow
to bedeck his grave

When we pass as one
our shadows ought to dance
among the stars
while the moon
illuminates our way
a groovy waltz by Strauss
for us to savor, it may
reach out, embrace me up here
where the thin air
is perfumed
as you, my dear

If this torn and tattered message finds you
note that I have embraced another
your turn is yet to come

His broad euphoric smile
melts my inner core
my pulse dances
candles shimmer
on his pearl white teeth
I am awestruck by their beauty
as the light peters out
we caress in the shadows
though I remain fixed on that white beam
in my mind's eye