Winter-
it overwhelms me
it screams so loud
the world shrinks
trees shed their leaves
naked, withering
like a shriveled raisin
in a hypertonic solution
the nights are deadly-
cold and silent.
Winter-
it makes my bones tingle,
my lungs shiver,
i laugh in hysteria,
i cry out loud.
my heart beats so wild
as if to keep up
with the waning heat
a stubborn nose
and colder feet.
The flowers-
they wilt
as if burdened by
the gloom in the winds
birds fly far away
perhaps escaping from
deathly clutches.
i snuggle in a blanket
no, two.
three sweaters,
a funny orange cap
more like a bundle of clothes.
a cup of coffee
warming my hands.
Somewhere someplace-
a replay
of the days at Nana's,
gathering wood, laughing.
come night, huddled around the fire
telling tales. stories.
(isn't that what we are made of? )
only for the moment
to become a story again.
smiles playing on chapped lips.
A distant thunder,
winter rain
drowning the cold embarrassment of silence,
dousing the fire at Nana's.
Zaynab
3 January 2021