ALMOST THERE
By Jim Kittelberger

The door slams behind me, loud in the quiet night,
Winter moonlight bathes the tundra
Work boots crunch a frigid cadence
Diamonds in the snow sparkle its fools gold
Do not linger
Silent eternity awaits the foolish
The cold invades my clothing
Quicker the crunching sound
I must hurry; I must hurry
The wind arrives unexpected as death
Snow swirling, envelopes me in white sheets
I’ve lost my way, make a quick back track while I may
Tears spring unbidden from my eyes and turn to ice
I must hurry
My tracks are being covered, but I know it’s this way
Yes I know I’m right
Crunch; crunch
Quickly, the enemy panic arrives
Faster; faster
I can’t see, should I go ahead, or back or
Oh God, help me
I’m so tired
There, under that tree I’ll wait
I’ll wait and think
It has to stop soon
I’ll rest and wait
I hope my love will forgive me for being late
I’ll just close my eyes for a moment