Laurie Joan Aron Freeze Down Northeast bluster reddens cheeks. Dry fronds and stiff pines rustle. Ice drizzle chills the trickle of the creek. Dark pines whiten and sag into hibernation. Into silence we two retreat Inching into our worn-out woolens. Hissing heaters, fading flannels, endless nights, Ever clutching cups of cooling cocoa. Punished with threadbare darkness by the sun Whom we displease each year with our Spring fevers and foolish summer capers And dreams of everlasting warmth.