(Written in Korea, midwinter)
I usually walk with headphones
To block out the world
But wearing earmuffs makes it hard
Anyway today I walked in silence
Muffled a bit all the same
But I heard the coldest sound on earth
Dead leaves
Leftovers of Autumn
Blowing in the wind across stone
Skittering
Beetle-like
But more romantic than beetles.
I saw the trees reaching naked into the sky,
Bare bones black bark
Bleary leering as I walked
Against the wind, earmuffed, masked, scarfed, coated,
A pad of heat against my back
Barely enough for biting weather
Barely enough for biting illness
Barely covering
-a.e
A.M. EDMONSON 