Jon Hofener

Friend of the Magpie

Silently pressing my calves against snow,

I am melting her secretly—she is making me numb.

Arresting my attention with careless confidence,

A song perched on the fence

Sings a spell to my senses and

Lifts her eyes to a cream and mint sky.

In plain melody, she tells me that she could reach that sky

Before I could stand to touch her.

Spying over the trees, light spots her movement and

Places her figure at the edge of my reach.

Ignoring the cold creeping up past my knees,

I flick my wrist and pose my hand at her side,

Fingers wrestling shadow lines,

Passing hours with the ghost of her form

Until frostbite cuts in.