For now I am the winter
beneath the mask
revealed beneath the
cold water of the sea.
Eyes open to the sky
above the surface
breath held time slows
as snow flakes float.
The sea cradles my limp body
carries me further into depths
away from the forming ice.
The sea floor echoes.
For now I am the winter
overtaking the autumn
freezing rivers and lakes
the graying sky swallows the sun.
Across the field a black swan
swoops low, just above the
Indian grass and sumac.
Winter’s presence everywhere
and nowhere as red wildflowers
disappear into white.
