I love winters sharp enough to sting the eyes, cold that lets me cry without explanations. Red eyes, tears shining, and no one asks. I blame the frost. Life is easier that way. My fingers disappear into numbness, my body follows, and still I stay outside, wanting the cold to take a little more. Maybe it will reach my heart, freeze it solid, so I won’t have to decide who deserves my trust. Ice keeps hands away. Ice keeps questions away. And I don’t have to pretend indifference anymore. A tear falls. Again, I blame the cold. All I need now is snow, just enough to press my head into, to clear my thoughts, to breathe easier. Yet nothing makes sense as I stand on the steps, watching swallows bring spring, slowly seeing winter away. I wipe my face, smile at the sun, and dream of winter like a love I once lost. If I wish hard enough, maybe it will return just once to kiss me.