Hiemal, within

piano notes flurry upstairs
into my study
argue with falling snow

my wall, a Havana skyscape
in another’s winter

firestorms abroad—wisps
of eucalypt smoke on TV
catch in my lungs

the radiator’s hiss: a reminder
of cool currents

Note:
hiemal: from the Latin, hiem/s, f. winter ; of or relating to winter, wintry.

These Hands

mapping this world outside
our thresholds, door jambs,
the veins of ordered things

step out beyond the frame
unlock myself into raw sleet

an icen image, I use
these hands to navigate
the city’s grace

what tearing can love repair,
my eyes ask the winter sky

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Maureen Hynes is the author of seven books, five of which are poetry. Her latest collection is Sotto Voce (fall, 2019), recently longlisted for the upcoming 2020 Pat Lowther Memorial Award. Maureen’s first book of poetry, Rough Skin, won the League of Canadian Poets’ Gerald Lampert Award…