A Prologue

Raise a cold winter morning.
Awaken to frost in the bones-
The sleep destroying chill
that drives the mind awake
with the need to provide warmth.

Once the fire is lit and bones
are warm, the mind calms
and other duties are recalled.
So - we fall asleep -
forgetting all traces of a
well-tuned need to take care
of ourselves and no other.

Later, with light, we rejoin
the world, satisfied to rise
in warmth and dull thoughts
of unconscious competence.
but - oh! for an instant-
we were a primitive!

Jan 1981
published winter 82
periodically Alive

it was one of those mornings today. I recall the original when I was up and in the kitchen making breakfast before i looked at the clock and saw that it was only 3 a.m.  -20F something and blowing.