a winter day

winter set in,
the cold coaxing down coats
down from storage
coats which, thankfully
pocketed last april's gloves.
these, along with thick boots
are prescribed as vaccine for cabin fever.

snow, crisp and clean
(covering a multitude of autumn's
lawn-care sins),
crunches with satisfaction
before being evicted from sidewalks
to berms - or, for the lucky,
into jolly, round-segmented fellows
standing sentinel in the yard.

across the way
migrants make tracks through the snow
squawking with canadian accent
before continuing, v-shaped,
southward

soon, the sun will emerge
and winter's quilt will begin to, again,
take its liquid form ~
but for now, cheeks grow rosy
in anticipation of the pleasure of
marshmallow islands in steaming cocoa.