Taste of Winter

Taste of Winter

Kelli Lage

Fire in my belly roars
as snow melts upon my tongue.
I taste snow tunnels during recess.
I grab ahold of the forts we built
and snow angels scattered among fields.
I reach towards my grandmother,
leaving notes
on the days leading up to Christmas.
I bury my face into sheets on snow days,
cereal and cartoons in the morning
hot chocolate in the evening.
Blankets covering our front yard,
I immerse myself into the paw prints
left by my childhood dog.
My father shoveling in his charcoal jacket,
I peer through the window,
glory follows the path he’s made.
My boots sit atop the vent
soaking in candied heat.
I count the strokes of the grandfather clock.
When midnight strikes,
icicles waltz with the horizon.
Through my bedroom window,
dreams stretch,
sending moments of youth
to my adult self.
A place she can rest.

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Kelli Lage
Poet & Photographer

Kelli Lage lives in the Midwest countryside with her husband, and dog, Cedar. Lage is currently earning her degree in Secondary English Education.

Photography by Conor Sweetman