it was an ambivalent orchestra
every sound I heard through winter's gossamer veil
the frost and my window, two shatterproof layers
between me and the outside world
but time forces everything to crack, even the river
who broke fissures in her icy armour, working slowly,
understanding patience was perhaps her greatest ally
her only accomplice in escape

now she is incandescent with sunlight
still muddy brown, but at night, when I pass her
she is unforgettable luminance
and those who used to carve their journeys into her back
with the blades of their skates
don't dare touch her, now that she's free.
I have noticed I still don't have answers
but I think I trust myself enough now
to turn all this fear into something
so ridiculously triumphant
that you'll have to stop and listen

I used to pray endlessly
for some enchantment to carry me upward
but I am learning to be earthbound
and from here
the sky is a different kind of beautiful
seeming closer now
like an eventual promise,
all destiny and syncopated light