after the storm

another storm —

water with nowhere to go

mourning doves

calling out to each other —

bringing her ashes home

(for Jaylina)

his grandfathers

must be loving this show —

our growing boy

little bird eating

her way from seed to seed —

my gaze tags along

(for @angiejoy2)

spending my snow day

curled up with seed catalogs —

anticipation

still no snow —

all morning the taste

of your goodbye kiss

even more precious —

early blossoms still alive

despite the ice storm

(for Jaylina)

we share

bygone blizzard stories

like incantations

trees in the cold dark

awaiting spring’s call to arms —

what will you fight for?

long winter walk —

our towering shadows

silently hold hands

unfolding the map —

we had to hide our love

even from ourselves

so many choices

and no lines to wait in —

gourmet store mouse

sunlight slanting in —

those precious moments before

you remember she’s gone

(for Jaylina)

crashing through

puddle ice with abandon —

winter soundtrack

winter hats and gloves

tucked away in boxes —

we watch the sky

when time collapses

under the weight of her loss —

how only five days?

as we fall asleep

we take comfort in the sound

of each other’s breath

trees with snapped-off crowns

writing the storm’s history —

absence’s hard ache

(for Jaylina)

in the dream she sat

right down next to me and oh

how I tried to stay!

(for Jaylina)

a cloud-covered sky

and still the unseen moon 

trying to break through

hurried greetings

flying past each other —

February wind

the sun came up

a little earlier today —

snowdrops blooming

all these years later —

the magic of knowing

just what you’ll say

the front yard bunny

dashes, then doubles back —

and still gets rained on

across a damp field

defining the edge of sight —

the fox slips away

come to me my love —

let’s go through our tomorrow

all kinds of tired

February rain —

my feet sinking down

into sodden ground

the snow we wished for

melting into rain

as it falls

it seemed that fog

grew thicker as rent came due —

which way was forward?