and the winter continued

somewhere
in
the
hours
of
pacing
through
my
house
with
snow
falling
and
falling
and
falling
and
a
chicken
roasting
in
the
stove
while
Maria
Callas
filled
the
void
I
stepped
outside
and
the
sky
was
filled
with
birds
circling
and
cawing
and
circling
and
cawing
and
such
an
event
was
so
unlike
anything
I
had
yet
experienced
that
I
took
a
deep
breath
and
said
thank
you.