New Year's Eve —
river's edge great blue heron
wraps itself in fog

another late night —
a tiny screech owl stays up
to laugh at us

stillness for stillness —
the kingfisher takes our cue
just this once

red-tailed hawk 
slicing through afternoon blue
making it look easy

on my born day
my father was afraid
of breaking me

neither of us
calling the other —
how ice begins

deep in the ground
frozen and yet still dreaming —
choose yourself again

(HT @uche_blackstock, for this Tweet)

the sound of scissors —
our Christmas village welcomes
a paper blizzard

sub-zero weather —
I can feel the door of my heart
starting to freeze shut

imagining
all this rain
as snow

the shortest day —
we layer up 
and get out into it

a full bowl of seeds 
from just that one sunflower —
cold weather bird treat

another hot flash —

the cool side of the pillow

moving out of reach

after the clouds left

our night got even colder —

the space between stars

we stay up late
happily trading yawns —
Christmas break

giving winter 
a cold shoulder —
red-tailed hawk

two days until break —
I plan tomorrow's outfit
around a Santa hat

longing to move
like a sleigh over the snow —
dreams in winter

remember that bed
where we felt every rollover?
me too

quick flicker of white —
the dark-eyed junco's tail
as it tours our roof

we pull 
our deep longing for escape
up like a blanket

at the post office
in one long line together —
love in small boxes

slowly wheeling stars
over dark and frozen fields —
sleep just out of reach

before we know it
the sun is down and out —
I lose track of you

our late night laughter —
somewhere out in the fields
a fox cocks her head

we told the boys
find a mom or a drag queen
if you get scared

clouds sliding away
as the sun fills the lake
with gold and more gold

my lover whispers
your hair smells like gingerbread —
holiday baking

late night rain —
we look for the moon's glow
behind the clouds

one more blanket,
another book on my stack —
courting the Solstice

we remake the bed
this time with flannel sheets —
static sparks jumping