Winter Hendecasyllables
I remember all in a moment kitchens
Where, in prior years, coffee drinking also
Had been my habit, when a day like this lay
On the town. In Iowa, for one: Folger’s
Instant and a view of the frozen fields out
Past the pond. Or in Caen: a student’s desk and
Drafts through every wall. For a season, at least,
One’s self must be all-sufficient, composed to
Preside calmly over a world in outline.
Come spring, there will be enough amiable sights -
But for now, let not anything distract or
Interfere with clear vision. Let the mind turn
Inward. Let the soul dress in its winter white.
W. STIEMENS