the purpose of the common cold:
perhaps to be grateful
when we get well
Tag: cold
The Common Contagion
Was it the restaurant’s ramen bowl?
Or the latte handed over by the barista?
My nose is stuffed and I shut autumn out
But frost is crystalizing in my blood
On the wrong side of the windows
Transfiguration
Petrified, my heart
Refuses your vain entreaties
Deny the charm of your
Silver-plated words
Which do insinuate
Like cold serpents.
Give me your kiss of sin
So I may spit the poison
Into the well of your being
Which I devour —
A rapacious beast.
Aglow
On a cold day
The thought of you
Keeps me warm
Cold Remembrance
Like faded flowers
Memories lose color
And grow brittle
Red Carnations
Gambling on frost-bitten carnations
A handful for the vase at home
Red blooms in a mere six hours
Show the results of hope and warmth
Stone Sentry
In the tingling cold
The lion’s mane
Grows large and bold
Coated by a gentle snow
His stone façade
Becomes a show
Of tranquil night
And calming deep
A vigilant guard, at last
Asleep
Infatuation
If spring follows winter
Then your eyes are the height of summer
And your lips only promise song.
Even your barbs are tender and blunted.
In anger, I still find the vulnerable shaking
Of a compassionate, easily-bruised heart
Which I once wrapped myself in on a cold, lonesome night.
Indoors
A cold day
A warm bed
A hot tea
And bliss
RED GLADIOLA 