Winter

Snow and sleet sweep silent streets sucked dry
whose sole crime is crossing space and time to appear - here,
in frozen climes,
at this slumbering somber time of year
when frost strikes fear into hearts that yearn
for summer sun, a sun scarce found amidst the hail and mist
that still song and dance this time of year,
this slumbering somber time of year.

A thousand faces peer through ice-glazed glass:
eyes gloomy, full shivers dispelled
in huddles by heaters that glean heat from wire or gas
and lend it to frigid floors;
what need for the warmth of friends drawn near?
Chimes of clocks tick seconds away in the empty space
of solitary wait, each second another step away
from water's weighty solid form
that presses on eaves that creak and sway
this slumbering somber time of year.

Cold wind clenches its wintry hold,
clasping shut spirits with closed fist,
its howl a clamorous dirge both ancient and bold
that clings, its clarion call crisp
as crunch of crystal under frost-numb feet
in boots that clamber through thick of white.
Treacherous, this trudging over bank and pile;
each face filled with fright at the absence of birds' trill.
Rare the smile that pierces long whiles spent in
company of fire, a last defense against the months
that separate more favoured climes from this time of year:
this slumbering somber time of year.

Twoness

Twoness is togetherness, as one and the same
Two close bound by purpose -
or, that which bears witness spent, only in name.

Twoness is againstness, foes locked as in game;
Push met with push in infernal embrace,
anger and violence most inhumane.

Twoness that sees oneness mourns loss of love's flame,
A face transfixed by brooding memory
In tight-drawn rictus of exquisite pain.

Twoness, seeing threeness, must want it explained
How three's complexity could ever permit
Any bond or pact to fast remain.

Twoness is but manyness, as viewed through a pane
Whose rigid frame blocks perception
Of truths innumerable as drops of rain.

Scarf-shrouded matron,
Age-worn mask of propriety;
Shares pleasantries and tea.

Lonely bespectacled soul,
Clutches cherished BlackBerry;
Awaits interaction.

For this moment alone
Their journeys converge