pay day —
a baseball hat
covered with snow

leaving work late
a shadow greets me
with obscenities

wind chill advisory —
a creditor’s
neatly-typed letter

January —
a broken toy
in the snow bank

restless night —
a distant
snow plow

continued cold —
the dog lies down
between us

freezing rain —
our unpaid
electric bill

tense words —
the dog’s water bowl
frozen solid

cold front —
the ex-wife shouts
my son’s next sentence

January rain —
a new leak
in the basement

late train —
all the highlighted passages
in his bible

dusk —
a hearse pulls up
to the gas pump

black ice —
an impromptu meeting
with the boss

black ice —
waiting to meet
with the boss

north wind...
her voice

meeting an old friend
we trade complaints
about our kids

cold rain —
the sad girl
at the end of the bar

cold drizzle —
my ex-wife’s voice
on the answering machine

starless winter night —
all the Christmas lights
are gone

unseasonably mild —
the ski shop’s flag
at half-mast

January rain —
we take down
the Christmas tree

first full moon —
a midnight conversation
with my son

back to work —
a squirrel taunts the dog
from a tall tree

a new year...
but I just can’t be nice
to assholes

New Year’s Day —
all the snow
washed away by rain