new england

winter is coming early this year.
my lover and i are settling in for the season
because nothing changes after the first snow
and we all know how to read this type of future
and i'm dreaming of sleeping through gray midday sunlight
wake up thinking how many years have i wasted waiting for the sun to come back
and i'm waking up aching at the blanket growing cold in the space between us
she says baby, just hang in there.
but it's dark when i leave my house for work
and it's dark when i come back home
and i miss the way the sun looks
creeping across her face on sunday mornings
like it's in no hurry
like it knows there's supposed to be a gap between sunrise
and sunset.

and everyone's old this winter
even the teenagers on the street, sucking smoke into lungs
too cold to breathe it back out
i'll quit next year i swear just make it through the winter
hard working poor people stuffing money under mattresses
saving up to buy noah's arc in the spring because
who the hell has time to build that big a boat?

and winter is coming early
i'm taking pictures to remind myself the cold is beautiful too
but there's no color here
this town too practical to ever hope for beauty
just settle in for the season
next year
i swear i'll do something.