Lost and Found

Night sighs in a stark cold silence,
Making even the shortest distance
Seem long through the frosty fog,
Distorted like frozen echoes
That bounce off tree tops
And ricochet up to the stars and back. 

Time stretches onward,
The light at the end of the tunnel
Pulled farther and farther away
Like salt-water taffy.
I think I hear your footsteps in the dark
But the candy hardens and breaks. 

Count to ten and hold our breath 

A little piece of my heart
Slipped from its fragile thread
Falling into the snow;
It may be just a tiny trinket
But I could not bear to lose it
And silently my soul cried. 

Whisper me to sleep
Clutching a prodigal comfort
Safely hung around my neck; 
Tomorrow the sun will shine
Through the bitter cold to remind me
That some day I will lie in an oasis
With my eyes closed
And be glad just to listen
To you breathe.



Janet Reid
december 2008