February 2023
Mike W. Blottenberger
bluesawdust@hotmail.com
Bio Note: I live in the Snack Food Capital of the world, Hanover, Pennsylvania, where I grow organic vegetables. Besides writing poetry, I enjoy traveling, photography, dark chocolate, and used bookstores. My poems have appeared in The Baltimore Review, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Penn Review.

The Bones of Winter

I am taking
an afternoon walk 
along Gitts Run, 
and though it’s late January, 
there’s still a little music 
left in the stream.

A red-tailed hawk watches 
the world below 
from the bare branch 
of an old oak, 
and I wish I could see 
the view through its eyes.

I’m beginning to understand 
why Andrew Wyeth 
liked to paint especially
in the bones of winter, 
when you shiver inside 
with such gratitude and warmth.
©2023 Mike W. Blottenberger
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