The Cold, A Reminder

Poem by Jason Burnham

We meet on the surface of a frozen lake

Turquoise slabs of ice peeking out beneath drifts of snow

Methane bubbles revealing life deep, deep below

I didn’t think you’d find me here.

There was nowhere left to look.

It’s been a long, exhausting search

One that only I could complete

One that only the two of us could survive

They still want me to stand trial?

They no longer know why, only that it must be done.

You’ve aged, though time cannot kill you

You saw to that when you conquered the galaxy

The silver hair is all that gives it away

You’ve come to take me back.

As you knew I would.

The sun is setting, casting long pink lines across white

It’s an appropriate metaphor for this rendezvous

But I don’t believe in coincidence

I loved you, you know.

And I you.

A breeze blows flurries of powdery snow across us

Melting where it meets skin

By chance at the corner of my eye

Shall we go, then?

What’s one more night?

We lie under the sky, a swirl of colors

The cold embraces us fondly

And reminds us of the warmth of being together.