Lying awake in bed before dawn

lying awake in bed before dawn

lamenting why I'm all alone 

close my eyes to look away

mask the grief with Hardy words

an audio pastoral

and a mantra that saves the moment

from slipping down the icy slope

the heat ducts breathy exhalation 

the refrigerator droning on

it is ten degrees but feels like two

each and every winter night

comes the frosted dew

chills the car anew

outside the drafty windowpane

it doesn't help to complain

when will it be warm again?

January 30, 2022