Give me
flurried skies
meat pies
rosy cheeks
and languid sighs.

Take your
gaiter-ed shanks
shuffling ranks
of pale soldiers
Counting down to Cuba.

Give me
deep red
down-filled bed
Kid-filled sled
Roast beast for dinner, please.

Take your
frozen thighs
weight rise
groundhog lies
rodent reticence always underwhelming.

Give me
breath I can see
warming hands on tea
frosty lashes
snowplow gashes
along the attention-seeking driveway.

Take your
hat head
the plants are dead
lost mitt
depression pit
Is 10 hours oversleeping?

Punch out the white
on this February night
fairy lights
should be a permanent thing
to illuminate the way.

The colder it is
the more stars you’ll see.