Daylight Saving
The snowman in the backyard lingers
leaning with the weight of winter
facing the ground, stick arms out
bent in prayer and delight
daylight saving comes in three weeks
The brown-bodied goose balances
one-legged on the icy basin
with its head turned
black bill and white chinstrap
tucked inside its back
Would I love winter
if I didn’t have to warm my whole body
could just stand on one leg
shaking out the melancholy
sheltered in feather down?
Would I be less numb
wearing scales on my feet
so it wouldn’t sting
skating on frozen patches
buoyed by the sleet?
Long, gleaming days ahead
the snowman will be sacrificed
the grass will surface
geese will forage
we will unfreeze
*
Boundaries
The maple tree, red-orange leans
against the larger one beside it
they’ve thrived together
sharing dappled sunlight
protected by the parachute
of overgrown leaves
their roots tangling together
sometimes strangling
sometimes stronger
from the squalls
their chestnut branches
have intertwined
the changed leaves and
stems overlap now
there are pruning wounds
from trying to trim them
but they encroach on each other
like some twins in utero
competing for blood
when the stronger one steals
the nutrients, leaves
the other malnourished
crowding out the water, the soil
stealing the light
stifling the soul
*
Susie Aybar has an MFA from Manhattanville College. Her prose can be found in Literary Mama, Tiny Molecules, and Honeyguide Literary Magazine. Her poetry has appeared in The San Pedro River Review, The London Reader, Medical Literary Messenger, and others. She lives in North Salem, NY with her husband and sons. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @saybar12 or connect with her at susieaybar.com.
Two gorgeous poems, thank you!