Leo Honka*
Outside, near winter’s home I stand
Leaning against the night
All alone
Listening to hallucinations
Popping from silence and stance.
It’s a cold night of thick gloves and clothes
A night no one should stand outside too long
For sidewalks and streets
Solemn and silent
Are asleep and lead nowhere.
Only a winter’s night here in the Far North
Where planets revolve and rain is cold
Where the snow wants to tuck you into bed
To be only found in spring
By singing birds atop of budding trees.
*The poem was originally published in California-based Amelia in 1986.
Category: Leo Honka