The Longest Months

And they are here
There's no avoiding them
They are the night before the morning
Clouds before the sunbreak

The longest months.

I curl up by anything warm
Under blankets
By the dog
In a bath
Wrapped in a pashmina

The longest months.

Seed catalogs lying dormant
Lonely garden beds
Worn and depressed clumps of grass
Cold toes

The longest months.

If I were to listen closely I would hear the struggle underground,
Little pods splitting
Roots inching their way upward
Life just beneath the surface

The longest months.