Chilled Dawn

She is shadowed by fuzzy cobwebs of a morning without coffee, while dust motes mingle with the mold of time. Gazing out to the yard, through dingy glass, and fog, into a dismal January, she hopes to catch a glimpse of the paper boy. He travels through rain, sleet or snow, how could he understand, (this teen-aged Paul Revere), that in this decrepit old house, she is longing for a sign of youth? It has been a weary night, watching an old woman hang on by threads of life, that had worn thin years ago. Watching and waiting, while cold winds blew and snow was falling, and death was hoping to make a house call. Any diversion, life being lived,... one brief eclipse of life in motion would be a relief. To observe him toss the news into the sky like a Frisbee... not a care in the world How would that feel...has she ever known? Has anyone ever been so young? She thinks she may go mad with death and dying, with weariness, with waiting. She suddenly shivers from a dreaded draft of frigid air, slithering in, like a sneaky, uninvited ghost, slinking in around the rim. nor'easter winds roll top shoe box... splinter the silence.. -- debutante' caught in amber a cataract view frozen sepia Grabbing a handful of a thread-bare doily, she polishes the cold glass, rubbing vigorously in circles against the grime, making figure eights, in spite of frozen, stiff, fingers. Satisfied, that she has a decent view of the blanketed yard, and can see clearly where the muddy, gravel driveway, bends gradually, curving to mate with the snow banked road, at last, she spies the old Jeep coming, and watches with automated eyes, yet, with some expectation, and strange excitement. Then, as she might have guessed, the teenager drives hurriedly by, barely slowing down, tossing the news, and leaving her gaze and her thoughts, splattered by dark murky water, while the slinging gravel that has been pitched into the sky, by his screeching tires, falls like the pieces of the old woman's lonely life upon the pristine snow. __________________________________________ For Deb's Contest: "Mix It Up"