by Katherine West
It is the north wind
does the damage
Blind semi head-ons
small family car
Flowers mound on graves—
freeze to ice sculptures
that never melt into
palette knife paintings
We put on our winter
coats, scarves, gloves
begin the long hike
to spring
The leaders of men freeze—
proclaim the death of spring
You say: Never mind, Love,
we will make our own.
We gather wood—
make a fire in the lee
of the Holy Mountain—
my tears freeze on my cheeks
I say: The Frozen are coming. There is no dry wood.
The fire is going out.
You say: Never mind, Love,
we will make our own.
Katherine West lives in Southwest New Mexico, near Silver City. She has written three collections of poetry: The Bone Train, Scimitar Dreams, and Riddle, as well as one novel Lion Tamer. Her poetry has appeared in journals such as Writing in a Woman's Voice, Lalitamba, Bombay Gin, The New Verse News, Tanka Journal, Splash!, Eucalypt, Writers Resist, Feminine Collective, and Southwest Word Fiesta. The New Verse News nominated her poem "And Then the Sky" for a Pushcart Prize in 2019. In addition she has had poetry appear as part of art exhibitions at the Light Art Space gallery in Silver City, New Mexico, the Windsor Museum in Windsor, Colorado, and the Tombaugh Gallery in Las Cruces, New Mexico. She is also an artist.