Scorched pavement would hold on to day
light. The concrete,
still warm, would kiss my barefoot feet.
Until dark I
would roam on summer nights, tasting
freedom in my
midnight curfew. When autumn came,
dancing in like
blown leaves skinned off weary trees, the
sumac flushed red
as cardinals wings blanketing
the landscape and
reminding me that winter comes
with a heavy
hand. Bitter green apples fall from
the backyard tree,
does and fawns passing through to eat
the fallen fruit
are startled by me and dart back
to the swamp where
the fog rises up every night.
Poplar trees stood tall while their leaves
made the final
kamikaze plunging fall. New
Converse shoes made
their debut on the way to school,
briefly, happy.
Winter brought isolation and
dreams of still warm
city streets under wandering
feet. Holding out
through cold purple glow, I wait for
spring’s warmer air.
Seasonal Affective Disorder
