snow crackles beneath my

hollow limbs that ache

with phantom pain that tickles

and burns.

still, I’ve found colder,

ice hidden in the eyes of man,

fleeting glimpse of sleet that’s

staked a tent in your soul –

(for sale! for sale!)

I’d rather be damned

than give up now, though,

the call of fire makes my

fingers melt with the promise of

warmth, a desperate counter tempo

that pulses to the cry of “winter! winter!”

and though snow hides foggy eyes,

while frozen words launch from icicle-lips,

I’ll carry on.

I’ll walk alone.