Before today I never heard
the chittering of ice
or seen the way waves change
as water freezes —
ripples split against the frozen edge,
some rolling over,
some undulating under,
emerging preternaturally calm
but suddenly refracted
by fractured floating floes

Others have also been here
and also tossed rocks
to see if they would stay or sink,
they, too, may have been amazed
by the constant conversation
and the musical propensities of ice

Others also walk on ground
that bears years of memories,
their path can sink subtly into the past —
they can relive the former times
just as carelessly,
even as today lays down
new views and thoughts and feelings
to be revisited another time.

©Wendy Mulhern
January 13, 2019