Reminders
Outside the cold bites tender plants
and shrivels vitality limp and black
while inside thick walls, warmth
rides acrid air fouled by smoke
and the stench of sickness.
A croaking cough emanates
from the next room and I
hang up the phone processing
the news of a young friend
just diagnosed with cancer.
The season should be reserved
for the old and worn.
The sting of winter rests in death.
----------------------- Judi Van Gorder