Twenty-Two Below

Ice crystals

on the

window

pane

blocked

the

thermometer.



I bundled

up and

went out

to read:

22 below.


I stood in the stillness. A crow cawed. Song birds chirped. The rising sun's rays bathed the tree tops in a pink light against the clear sky. I contemplated climbing the hill to glimpse morning over the moors. Cold air penetrated my nostrils. My skin began to stiffen. I opted to head inside.




With a
closer look
at the
window
screen,
I saw
intricate
patterns.



Inside the house –
more stillness.

The wood stove
furnace blew...

it had been hours
since the last stoking.

Yet the coals glowed...

In spite of

winter and its

Twenty-Two Below.