Now that I have isolated myself
And no longer visit town
Alone all day in the house with the cat
I am pleased that it is not the dead of winter
So if I like
I can put on a coat and hat
To walk around outside
Stepping on dead grass and broken twigs and scattered gravel
Without getting chilled
By teeth-chattering ice.
Today the wind is gentle
The snowbanks are melted
Except for wet patches on the north slope
The lake is scattered with ducks and eagles
I stalk all around the house shadowed by
My cat
Waiting for Spring.
