Canadian Winter

Yellowknife

arctic, polar

thirty, forty below

windy, icy

white on white

then whiter still

no horizontal

no vertical

no discerning

road from sky

water from earth

except by sound

cracking

not crackling

cracking

with each move

for each inch

it’s cracking

that screams

screams

warning the

coming

condemnation

warning and

condemning

each move —

wave off

heroes

stand down

the mighty

they are

lost against

this white

white on white

then

whiter still