A Cold December Night and the Rain

A Cold December Night and the Rain

A cold December night and the rain
pummels the rooftops,
drops colorless pearls
on the kitchen window
my reflection
cloudy on the wet glass,
as icicle fingertips put away
pots and pans where they belong
hidden
until tomorrow’s bidding —

Long ago on a cold December night like this
while the rain pummeled the rooftops,
a porcelain cup broke gently,
delicate Saxon flowers
shattered on the floor
as I knelt to collect the broken pieces,
soft footsteps walked towards the door
and in an eternal moment
the door closed
slowly
like an ebbing tide —

A cold December night and the rain
pummels my heart
and once again
the rain brings me back to a place
of scattered Saxon flowers,
a broken porcelain cup
that once was whole.

D. G. Vachal © 2025

Image by AnNeef @ Pixabay

Suddenly December

Suddenly December

Winter without warning:
surreptitious arctic air
connives with the wolverine wind,
reap the harvest of fallen petals
and gem-colored leaves —

too soon the parting
of melancholic seasons,
the reluctant goodbye
to a place
where you and I once stood
and time was an intruding
stranger —

truly once
there was such a place —

suddenly December
rainbow colors
of moments past
covered
with pristine snow.

D. G. Vachal © 2024

Image by Erik Karits @pixabay