The pristine whiteness

broken only by the small 

tracks left by a cat

 She once enjoyed mind

games with friends and lovers but

now it is board games 

The sun gives no warmth 

today, while the roaring of

the wind usurps all

Instead of clever,

cute, or even preachy, this

is simply itself 

The weak tea light of 

dawn fails at its duty to

wake sleepers from dreams 

Old photos found that

evoke dormant memories 

but steal them as well

Boxes now empty 

wrapping discarded, cake gone;

mundane days return  

Friends scattered across 

the lonesome planet reach out;

hearts erase distance 

The birthday wishes 

made in the candle smoke are

now for simpler aims

 The day fades to dark;

night awakens a yearning

that the morning quells 

I stare into the 

night sky where I hope a small

piece of you lives on 

Walking in the rain 

without a coat, forces you 

to remain grounded 

Late nights surrendered

to early mornings, bars to 

some bedroom slippers 

It seemed to their friends 

that they squeezed the last of their 

love out like toothpaste 

 She referred to it,

Valentines, as amateur 

day, hers was all year 

The old warped album 

still stirred memories although

mishappen by time 

Jaded by age and

circumstance, she no longer 

cared for the spotlight 

 Wind whipped Saturday

the dog drags out the morning

walk while coffee cools 

Lives like debris left

scattered from digging the hole

we find ourselves in 

Dig deep enough you'll 

find an ugly truth behind 

every custom

Give yourself over 

to empathy and you will

find a deeper life

 The radio tells 

of death and anguish, lying 

in your warm bed, pray

A nun stands on the shore

watching the ice flow downriver; 

black and white thoughts drift  

He wished only to 

experience a joy like

 his dog at play knew

 suddenly awake

before dawn, mind replaying 

ancient abasements 

 Sing out into the

darkness, an offkey bellow 

gets the point across 

The poet in his

poverty but not poor 

life provides a path

Every six months 

the dentist determines if

I've kept my promise