February

A respite in mid-February...
a month notorious for
depression, inertia, and
inescapable blah-ness.

Today's weather is warm
but windy... blowing sweet
smells of spring to come
through ice-laden forest paths.

Lunch and ice cream later,
my husband mentions our
escalating national credit and
we two neurotics begin to worry.

I think back to the interview this morning
between Americans and Iranians on NPR
and cannot help but wonder
where the next 4 years will leave us?

Safer? Stronger? More self-sufficient?
So many possibilities and so much hope
hung upon the metaphorical shoulders
of one man with the potential of a king.

(Poor guy. Carrying an albatross
and anchor all rolled into one.)
Meanwhile, we fret over housing prices
and steps to be taken in too few months.

And I strive to relish the
gift of unexpected warmth
and the easy joy of unstructured time
as winter drags its heavy feet forward.