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Unseasonably Cold

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26°

Like a virus it crawls
along your skin
casting about for an easy
way in, like the holes
in your nose, which it finds
like a door you’ve oddly forgotten
and left unprotected.
It travels your length
on a highway of bones,
freezing your insides
down to your soul,
until all you can do
is shiver and moan
and retreat to the bed
you should never have left.

 

I’m heading to a soccer tournament today. Can you guess how I feel about the cold? I hope you’re keeping warm and don’t have 9 feet of snow outside your door.

For more Poetry Friday visit Becky Shillington at Tapestry of Words.

21 replies
  1. Janet F.
    Janet F. says:

    Brrrr!!! You live in a warmer climate than I. But then you do not have even one fat cell on your fit and limber body!! So I suggest my latest and happiess find: Cuddl Duds Soft Wear. They help so much. I have many pairs and they come in so many varieties, colors and styles. Also over the years the fabric has changed. Soft wear moves easier, but their older versions were fine. (The Soft Wear type tends to run a little big, so be careful on the size. If you do not already have an effective layering approach this might help at the soccer game! Have fun. I love this poem by the way and how the nose is a door. Terrific. Kids will love this one. Hope you are going to NCTE!! Keep my posted.

    Reply
    • Liz Steinglass
      Liz Steinglass says:

      Hi Janet! Thanks for the recommendation. I have big plans to wear my long underwear, my Irish sweater I haven’t needed much since I left Boston, and my husband’s winter coat! Will I last the entire game?!

      Reply
  2. Martha
    Martha says:

    Even the deep south is brrrr!!! We’re climbing out of the teens (wind chill single digits) overnight and 29 for a daytime high. We’re 31 right now with promise of 50 for a high. By comparison we are blessed.

    Elizabeth your poem is so descriptive and in a way that it makes one shiver. Thanks.

    Reply
  3. Bridget Magee
    Bridget Magee says:

    26 degrees is wrong – on every level. Your poem captured that perfectly. Please tell me the soccer tournament will be played indoors. I won’t tell you what temp it is here or that my girls were complaining. LOL. Stay warm and Happy Thanksgiving! =)

    Reply
  4. Rosi Hollinbeck
    Rosi Hollinbeck says:

    Your poem is wonderful. You really nailed the feeling of cold. I have to have my grandson on the field at 8:00 am for a baseball tournament, but it should be a balmy 43 degrees, so I won’t complain!

    Reply
  5. Tabatha
    Tabatha says:

    Noses DO feel like unprotected doors, don’t they? Good luck with your tournament. I was at a soccer game where it was snowing once. That was actually nicer than some of the games that I’ve attended where it’s been raining. Glad you are well prepared!

    Reply
  6. Linda Baie
    Linda Baie says:

    It was so cold last week here in CO, & now I guess it’s moved your way. Love the way you’ve taken the nose as the entry point, & that ‘highway of bones’. Remember when people did knit nose warmers? They never caught on, I guess. I also remember shivering at soccer with my own children-Brr-r! I’m sorry for that snow in the east. What a time.

    Reply
  7. Buffy Silverman
    Buffy Silverman says:

    Love the “door you’ve oddly forgotten” and the “highway of bones.” Both make me shiver!

    When my daughter was in marching band we purchased packs of Hand and Foot warmers (disposable pouches with some chemicals that make heat.) It got her through many cold Friday night football games and band competitions–and would probably do the trick for watching soccer games!

    Reply
  8. Michelle Heidenrich Barnes
    Michelle Heidenrich Barnes says:

    Wow, Liz. The premise of this poem is brilliant! From title to last line– no loose ends here. For me, though, I imagine more of a parasite than a virus… maybe just because it’s easier for me to visualize. Hoping the temperature is significantly more bearable by now!

    Reply

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