The cold, the snow
Nowhere to go
How long will the wind blow?
How long will I deal with cold
With wind and hard concrete
How many nights will the coldest
be at my fingertips?
The seasons of the Northern Hemisphere
December to February
and June to August
Still the poor remain among us
Ripening
Late in the season of gift-giving
Suitable for storage over a period of time
Shifted like wheat
Or treated like other crops
Sown-in by dead presidents
Harvested for the yearly tax return
Especially for the birds
Who spend in any way
All in one place.
The things we face
As a cold set of folks
Spending most of the time
Alone
Waiting to harvest a warm meal—
A bed, a place where one can rest
And be at peace
As the snow falls
Weatherizing my cause
Though not sure what it will do
I know I want more
Stored up for you
In June and August here it’s nice
To trade for December to February
That’s how you survive winter.