Winter's Night

the overweight stranger in a woman's body

has burned her hand on water too hot to drink

but it's company for her lonesome soul

on a winter night with blankets on the window

and sheets in the doorways

dead are her summer plants in overcrowded pots

on tables where cat hair is thick

and brittle vines hang like ribbons

her cry for help goes to voice mail

and i feel her silent screams alone in my fortress

dreaming of nothing and everything

double socked and wrapped in wool

hush my friend, don't cry

there is a kingdom in the ice

waiting for its crack, waiting for us

to be still, to be quiet without an answer

 the castle walls say it's cold for reason

forget the rhythm, go within, let her out!

the little girl who smiles at bugs and throws

nickles in the street man's can because she likes the sound

drawbridge lowered, silence comes

her breath now fully visible, it cloaks the room

yes, there is kingdom in the ice

i will return your call when sunrise comes
sleep, sweet dreams my friend.