early winter

early blizzard unwelcome
heavy snow wet in unready woods
cars slide over driveway slush
thin lake ice crackles as i swim
walking to bar careful on slick sidewalks
upright on a stool
inside this familiar room with no windows
glass of human antifreeze in my hand
and one or two more
boots squelching as i head back home
lumps of snow slip off neighbors’ roofs
plopping morse code under the eaves
is this gray hair due already
flesh and strength evaporating so soon
migrating birds shoulder each other at my feeders

for Weekend Writing Prompt