Some December Time-lapse Trip

this is-
look, okay?
this is a little bit like fear
a little bit like walking into a dark room
feeling around the edges with the corners of your eyes
where the most light gets in
fingertips searching for the boundaries
the walls
the escape route
just in case.

this is just a little bit like
nightmares
turned around
moving cautiously through sleep
waiting for the terror to return
compelled to keep on going
toward the end.

this is quiet, waiting
wanting to explain and knowing
all you have is silence on your side.

this is agony, the clouds, the grey
the thievery of winter
mud-paint snowdrifts
shadow birds and bright sky
hangs deceptive
in your face

magnified
magnetized
every facet a reminder

this is not the same as ever
this is distant coral skies
this is warmth, a furnace breathing life
into december hell

this is black and blue and nothing like a bruise
this is the end of we are waiting to begin

and i have traveled reckless long enough to know
that when you find a place to rest
you simply close your eyes and breathe
and settle in
given up on tired thumbs-out hoping
tangled up in metaphors
the walk is always better
hand in hand.