As Love Nears, Winter Answers

Malcolm Gladwin

As Love Nears, Winter Answers

I do not greet the day with arms wide

no 

I flinch from the light.

Love... is a slow knife in warm skin

and I, already frostbitten,

tuck my longing beneath coats of silence.

 

There is a chill behind your eyes.

Or is it mine?

Perhaps I’ve worn winter too long,

I don’t know how to thaw without drowning.

 

You came with a look 

like spring pretending not to hurt 

but I smelled the snow behind it.

Felt the avalanche between your ribs

and mine.

 

I wanted to stay.

But want is not warmth.

Want is a wound rehearsing trust

then backing away when breath fogs glass.

 

I am not made for soft hands.

I am made of doorways and drifts.

Of hearths I never lit.

Of letters I never sent.

 

So I leave before I feel.

Before the blood dares run hot again.

Before love comes too close

and finds no fire here.

 

I tell myself

it’s better this way.

To freeze quietly

than to burn

and beg

to be held.

  • Author: MalcolmG (Pseudonym) (Offline Offline)
  • Published: July 27th, 2025 00:22
  • Category: Unclassified
  • Views: 9
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Comments +

Comments3

  • sorenbarrett

    A clever use of cliches to make a poetic point. The fire of passion and the freezing cold of isolation woven together to tell a story of one not ready for a relationship. Very nicely don in the poem.

    • Malcolm Gladwin

      Thank you for the read a d comment - you appreciated

      • sorenbarrett

        You are most welcome

      • Poetic Licence

        That is a nicely crafted write of one acknowledging before it's to late, they are not ready for a relationship, enjoyed the read

      • Tony36

        Excellent write



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