East Rockville in Winter--By Marianne Szlyk--United States

East Rockville in Winter

Snow falling like ash

blots out the backyard’s wet green.

Cold blasts the last leaf

that clings to the rose-
bush; the last flowers withered
to white weeks ago.

Wind pushes through glass.

Lemon-ginger steam rises

from my teacup.  I drink,

being thirsty for
tranquil winter, this season
when we are snowed in.

Marianne Szlyk is the editor of The Song Is... , an associate poetry editor at Potomac Review, and a professor of English at Montgomery College. Her second chapbook, I Dream of Empathy, was published by Flutter Press. Her poems have appeared in a variety of online and print venues, including Silver Birch Press, Cactifur, Of/with, bird's thumb, Truck, Algebra of Owls, The Blue Mountain Review, and Yellow Chair Review. Her first chapbook is available (for free) through Kind of a Hurricane Press: http://barometricpressures.blogspot.com/2014/10/listening-to-electric-cambodia-looking.html