Friday, November 22, 2024

Frozen Pond

I come across the smooth, glazed
pond frozen in gray November,
rimmed by dark woods,
tall pines and dense thicket.

I imagine Christmas skaters

gliding over the sheet,

hands behind their backs,

scarves waving behind their necks,

rosy cheeks and down jackets

protecting them from a chill

just this side of death.

 

They disappear.

I am alone.

 

It is necessary to make peace

with such a winterscape,

to breathe it deep into the lungs,

for there are many more

waiting in the woods.


It will not last forever,

but for now it is a day

that masquerade morning,

light muted to wool,

has brought to pass.

 

My eyes turn gray,

and I am simply another tree

at the edge of the pond,

rooted and silent as the air.

I will wait.


~William Hammett



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