Ice Angel

Soft flurry of snow, blown south to the sea, brisk breath of Boreas breaks summer's stupe. What strange, phantom dream here stands before me, freezing river's course till it runs a loop? How rapid the advance of blue-white ice- crystallizing in my veins - no remorse! Breath seizes at her sight - I drop the dice. This cold snap - nothing better; nothing worse. What right could I have - mad man of the marsh - to harbor hope from latitudes higher? Unseemly, uncouth, unwittingly harsh - My spirit flickers as I watch her spire. Yet, how could one complain, in summer's realm? Such gift to see ice angels overwhelm ... 21 July 2023