skitters as if on snow

November 2009

skitters as if on snow

she can sometimes sense

her muscles tense,

and then, her bones, disjointed, realign.

she reaches up

and tries to touch,

but just can’t find the strength to feel the sun.

frost-bitten lips

under fingertips;

she can’t distinguish these from fragile face.

sympathy, antipathy,

empathy and apathy:

what is this strange disease beneath her skin?