How I wish
This heart would ache
As the little girl sold
Soggy matches in the cold.
How I wish
This snow would soften
As the tiny toes numbed
Within worn-out boots, two sizes big.
How I wish
This frost would thaw
As the stiff, wrinkled hands
Trembled to hold the pail.
How I wish
This ice would melt
When the embers long bid goodbye
And the stove refused to warm up.
How I wish
This blizzard would relent
As the tattered old bed
Failed to cocoon the fragile limbs.
How I wish
This existence of mine
Stole the frozen tears
And vanished into the dark.
***
Photo By: Alice Key
