14 June 2009 | Vol. 9, No. 2
Ice Above, Water All Around
Winter stars huddle against the cold, the moon in its shawl of light. Tree branches clatter as they sway. All my life I've called to you. All my life the thrill of loneliness. Once, as a girl, the meadow pond covered with ice. Below the ice, frozen air, hibernating frogs. My cheeks alive with the burn, my ears. I wanted to touch air, awaken the frogs from their sleep. A bitter cracking sound. From the bottom of the pond, I called to you. Ice above, water all around. I called your name, freezing vocal chords, my hands laid bare. I breathed your promise, Come. A loneliness huddled against the cold. God what a bitter sound. God the freezing air.
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About the author:
Andrea Scarpino's first poetry collection, The Grove Behind, was published by Finishing Line Press in February 2009. She currently lives in Los Angeles, where she is a devoted student of Catalina Island's bison, and is the West Coast Correspondent of the blog Planet of the Blind. She can be reached online at www.andreascarpino.com.
For further reading:
Browse the contents of 42opus Vol. 9, No. 2, where "Ice Above, Water All Around" ran on June 14, 2009. List other work with these same labels: poetry, prose poem.
