Speak sweet and slow
like November snow
Cover me, delicately
as flakes frost autumn leaves
burnt orange and heavy, whirling
down a hill of white,
inches deep and thinly tiered
like the feathers of your duvet
waiting to catch
the first fallen branch
Speak firmly, love
and I will do the same
or else we both may sink
to the frozen soil beneath
and never find our way out