Winter-Warm

Bracing wind stings my skin
Burning light obscured, so
Offers no relief from the cold

Grasses gold, winter-dry and pounded
By scurrying feet, back and forth
Branches bare, stirring as wind threads through

Pounding heart rushes blood
Warms inside, but wobbles
Already unsteady, awkward steps

I stand apart, a length between
To protect myself from the reach
Of the strange energy

Shaking in the cold, I find that
Movement warms me, and
Laughter, unexpected, does too

Footsteps steady, pace quickens
The energy sneaks in a back door
When I am distracted, at ease

Sun emerges for a brief hour
Cheap wine and more laughs
Warm me at last

I sit closer now, open for once
To change, to beginnings, to
The possibility of light

My feet are steady now
The day winds down and the sun retreats
Yet I am winter-warm