snow country
every word
you say

she finds
her great grandmother —
lichen on the stone

fresh snow
the cat’s paws deep
in eiderdown

raking leaves —
the two of us together
until dark

cold moon —
a stray dog roams
the village street

Pearl Harbor Day —
the clerk validates
my parking stub

grandma’s birthday
snowflakes fill the letters
carved into the stone

New Year’s morning —
a toothbrush color
I’ve never used

north wind —
a new edge
on the old axe

calls from listeners
who’ve been through the same
winter stars