10 below

The heart’s scar

aches under

the collar of regret.

Cold meets colder.

Coat-closed to neck.

Hands trembling,

fidgeting for warmth.

Useless pockets.

Breath after breath

falling downward.

Could’ve, should’ve

rewinds. Trudging onward,

path submerged.

Quickened pace.

Winds shift head on…

frosted eyelids,

lips and chin.

Footfalls slow.

Hope of fires

Beating, beating

in a numbing skull.

Nerve to bone, the cosmos of

cells, each to its own, shudder.

Light through trees, sparkling.

Deepening drifts blanketing.

A Fading diamond light.

Too far to go.

Too far!

– Burt Baldwin, Ignacio