Broken down world, heaving and sore. Snow sticks to boots and its flakes, none like the other, clump on lashes. Babies fly into the day, drink and grow into big people, untold seeds. We feed our bodies, rest them, work them, and they are vital and dying all at once. The lake is so blue it hurts my eyes and I look away, shaking my head at its beauty. I hug my children and hope with all I’ve got that they outlive me. I forget, then remember, then forget and remember again that we’re here for so short a time. The thought makes my heart ache and swell and wonder.