We didn't expect to go back to breaking ice and spits of flurry.
We were ready to let the protection fall. We were ready for sleeping with the window open.
Clouds fell in the forest today. Cold killed the smell of the earth pushed up by sprouts and
the smell the skunk left trailing through the tree line.
Stillness holds the sound to my ear.
We're closed in together - the animals are aware. I can hear the leaves roll and crunch as feet move
self consciously, purposefully.
I pause here.
Knees locked like the horse in the mud.
Breath in -
chill air behind my eyes
Breath out -
warm vapor
resting on my lip and cooling
I'm the blanket on the mountain. I'm the crow in the tree.
"Clump of Trees in Winter" by Joichi Hoshi (1913-1979)
i always love your style--between poetry and prose, balanced beautifully. like the season, i guess. thank you.
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