Some days feel empty. The sun shines, yet the yard remains dark. The geese are hungry in my thoughts. I see the greenery around the still lake; the water is pearl-grey around my neck.
On some days, I sense the winter depression deep within the blue.
Save the fish! My heart roars. Tears stream down my face; my head screams silently, \"Save the fish!\"
But the squirrels chatter and cast light thoughts onto the ground beneath my feet.
I glance up. There, a lively squirrel meets my eyes. He says with a sharp look at me, \"Winter is still far away, I think.\" My eyes lock onto a pair of round, brown eyes: I agree.
Yet, I feel the air freezing around the lake. Cold steam rises from its surface.
The death, the darkness, along with the quiet tears of fish beneath the deep waters, awaken the lake\'s solitude. \"Please save us!\"
I repeatedly hear. But my hands are bound by frost. My feet are chained to the cold, hard ground. I can\'t breathe; I hear the fish crying. The sound becomes clearer, yet I cannot move. Night\'s darkness creeps into the arms of the day. Depression persists... winter feels endless...
Shahla Latifi
October 2025