A Long Winter's Nap

Around this time every year, my acupuncturist reminds me that winter is a time for hibernation. It's okay to huddle by the fire with the family, to be more "in" and less "out" (whether that's your physical or your energetic being).When snow blankets Maryland, everyone stays in and hunkers down. At my house, we curl up on the couch and watch movies or play board games. The first time we had a blizzard while my eldest was away at college, it felt strange to sit out the quiet storm without him.Curling up, staying warm, clinging to family -- all crossed my mind when I received my Winter Poetry Swap package from the swap-mistress herself, Tabatha Yeatts of the blog The Opposite of Indifference.  There were treats to warm my spirit: homemade lip balm (one of Tabatha's many talents), a box of delicious raspberry tea, and a planner filled with herbalist wisdom and recipes, including this one for Rosemary Chocolate Truffles.Before I get too cozy, picturing myself staying in bed with my naturally delicious chocolate bon-bons, let's read the ekphrastic poem Tabatha included with these gifts.UPDATE: Typos that were entirely my fault have been corrected. Apologies to Tabatha!

The Bedby Tabatha Yeatts

for Laura

She feels as though the bed is poised to roll herout of it while she is sleeping, that no matterhow much she craves rest, the bed willcast her away. perhaps the hands thatsawed and hammered the frame, tiltedthe bed just so, sought to make itinevitable that she would seek ahusband to keep her aboard.she covers the bed with ablanket of her ownmaking, colorsthat cheerher heart,tucks the sheets in tight.

***I'm intrigued by the tension that Tabatha creates in this poem. As a knitter, the finale speaks to me -- that the woman solves her unease by making something beautiful. I get a sense that this grounds her and counterbalances the tilted bed.Time to make some truffles! Enjoy your holiday treats and have a great weekend, poets.