In Extremis - Winter Song

The day unfolded like a gray lily
with white petals so fragrant and tender
one could close one's eyes and listen
to the far-off keening
of the sky and trees

My organism strains to understand
to encompass and endure
like the planet
endure the weight of responsibility
the press of days upon my shoulders

I remember ironing my father's shirts
the smell of hot cotton broadcloth
the faint sweetness of the soap
the strong heat of the iron
pressing those wrinkles at the wrists and collar

I remember polishing my mother's silver
rubbing hard on the bowls
of the soup spoons
to see the burnished gleam
appear like a stepchild

I remember the feel of the piano keys
the allure of smooth ivory
the spiral sound filling my ears
with my foot on the soft pedal
and the energetic notes cascading

And I ask myself what brought me here
to this desolation
to this white-gray lily of a world
to this cold almost love-letter of a season
As I sink into the planet.