Winter's Persistence

Jane Berger Herschlag

Snow banks
striped by tree-shadows,
gray on white,
enhanced by sun-glare—

December’s birth
carpeted New England white,
traffic sullied it, white fell anew,
soon got sooted and sanded.

Yesterday,
a week into February,
still no sepia grasses peeked through,
birds could find no worms,
but ice fishermen feasted. 

Color anomaly—
a cardinal flits by.

38 degrees, the patter of dripping snow
inspires the golden hue
glazing forsythia branches.

Inside, the thermostat set
to prevent asset depletion,
I wear two sweaters
and a fleece jacket,
but I’ve clipped several stems
to yellow-up
Valentine’s Day.

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Jane Berger Herschlag
Jane Berger Herschlag’s full-length poetry collection, When the Mouth Can’t Speak the Body Will, is published by Finishing Line Press.  Bully In The Spotlight, her 40-page docu-poetry chapbook is published by Pudding House Publications.    Jane taught creative writing/poetry, and curated the open mic reading series for the Writer’s Voice, NYC.