Imbolc / Candlemas / Groundhog Day
tomorrow we’ll be one day closer to spring than winter
though subzero when we wake
but we still won’t know where the spark started
my husband walks Washington
and says the burn looks like Syria
the devastated portion on the news
I stay away out of respect
and maybe out of not wanting the images in my eyes
and also simply out of staying out of the way
there are enough complications everywhere
without this body adding one more
this cross-quarter night
what safe candle can I light that leaves no ash
what flame might I set in my head
or milk in my hands to divine our future
what keening might heal the blackened hills
for we’ve no rushes to weave in this dry place
