The Numbness of Water

Skating in February
I dreamed of leaps
and grace above the cold gliding;
the scrapes that would freeze
solid along the river,

freeze at the seam of the banks
of that northern place
near Canada and the superior lake.

But  I fell through
the crust of crystal
and cracking  on the Rum River
where the sun was strong enough
to ruin bright days--

let me fall through
to the numbness
of water--

hips and legs soaking,
aching for more
as I slipped
into the white boot
of my simple skates
to keep from drowning
in all that glowing snow.