A forty-degree drop

Has now made us stop

Fast ... in our tracks

As the cold attacks



Bundling up warm ...

Around chest and arms

Will lessen the sting ...

Although ears still ring



And ungloved fingers

Will not be limber ...

Bare ears will tingle

Nose-dew will crinkle



Chills will seep through

All those gaps on you

And feet will continue

To dance well after dew



Turns into a frosty crust

On those boots you trust

The ones you removed

As soon as you could ...



And even now, toes dance

Spiked well with the lance

Thrown at your bare flesh

Under covering which tests



- Tristram



(c) Christopher W. Thomas

7:48pm Wed. Dec. 23rd, 1998