Frosty Day
From "This"
A fleet of bubbles
Sails on black water
Past crystal islands
White field glitter
Like sharp ragtime
My long shadow
Falls out of place
Winter 1
From "Evening Light"
Heavy on the bare tree
The blackbird sits in silence,
Thinking in winter
Thoughts he cannot sing.
Scene in January
From "Well?"
Bearded willows crawl on sodden ground;
The brook keeps shreds of mist it found;
A black cow horns its protest by the wall;
There's nothing gay about this scene at all,
And yet the heart starts up and does a bound
As if it knew there never was a Fall.
Listening to Carols - Christmas 2003
From "Otherwise"
"My blessings on the mother," said the first wise man,
"For I see that good is hidden."
"My blessings on the babe," said the second wise man,
"For he knows nothing."
"My blessings on you both," said the third wise man,
"For you will know too much."
"Grant me wisdom," Mary said, "for the babe is a stranger,
And love is terrible."
Winter Morning
From "Being Here"
Walking under the trees
Seeking the crystal of the air
We find cold silence
Of all garments clear.
Day is a diamond ghost;
Sharp on the branches
Sunlight a golden frost
And winter dances.
Winter 2
From "Now"
Two brown leaves cling
To the bare tree
Like dead bats
In a roofless church.
