I remember you.
You came last January
on the coldest night so far
that year.
The knot of a sawn-off
limb on the pine tree
provides you with
the perfect roost.
You sit like a Caesar,
arranging and rearranging
your feathers in
the gathered snow.
I don’t know how
you can endure such
a cold night; even the stars
are frozen in place.
Your mottled plumage,
a halo in the light
of the ice-sculpted moon,
is an incandescent miracle.
Little magic maker, you are
smaller than I remember,
no bigger than my fist;
or perhaps it’s just me that’s grown.
In cold and breathless air
you swoop down on
soundless wings, light
as a snowflake in the wind.
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Caroline Misner’s work has appeared in numerous publications in the USA, Canada, India and the UK.She has been nominated for the prestigious McClelland & Stewart Journey Anthology Prize and another short story and a poem were nominated for the Pushcart Prize.She lives in the beautiful Haliburton Highlands of Northern Ontario where she continues to draw inspiration for her work.She is the author of the Young Adult fantasy series “The Daughters of Eldox”.Her latest novel, “The Spoon Asylum” was released in May of 2018 by Thistledown Press and was nominated by the publisher for the Governor General Award. You can view more of her work at her website: carolinemisner.com.
Latest posts by Caroline Misner (see all)
- Owl Return - 7th January 2022
- A Celestial Dynasty - 12th December 2021