Today, we give ourselves all
the morning, consider the sunlight
a personal gift. The world begins
its somersault from winter
to renewal. We waken.
Almost secure within suburban
split levels and bungalows, we take
life in megabytes and soundbites
Minutely measured and analyzed,
experience diminishes to excitement;
passion shrinks to interest;
wonder disappears. Distance
muffles our words, clouds our thoughts
the way winter seeps back
into the afternoon, drawing shadows
up the bricks into the window.
Done in by endless change,
the unpredictable assault, we shrug
away the afternoon. Peace
falls prey to passivity.
Night twists its way through
our hearts. The morning's promise
vanished, a chill beyond
the reach of fire and hearth
crawls into our bones. Winter snarls one more time at our heels.
We close the door, lock up --
cold out; emptiness within.
Hope fails under silence
slick as ice, and we shiver
to recall all actions once taken,
now accidents nervously avoided.