the clock ticks on
  steady and strong 
  the oppressive heartbeat 
         thumping through chaos

my eyes slip shut in fond memory:
     untouched snow blankets the street

your fingers slip through mine
   and lips, warm and soft 
      lure me into safety’s embrace

cheeks numb from winter’s kiss,
 my eyes follow 
       the message in the snow;

certainty floods my body
     trickling into my toes 
and once again
                             i know.

if only, i whisper into the harrowed silence
    at time’s authoritative hand