birds of ice

poised
tip of the iceberg
dripping snivelling snow
melted to nothingness.

inching
some days are slower
viscidgelatinousoozingsinewyslimelike
past time, past consciousness

the ladybug blinks.
somewhere,
a child falls to the ground
silent.

what would you do, mocked the parakeet, if you had all the power in the world?
what would you do, mocked the parakeet, if you could choose?

i would, i would -whispers the little skeleton-
hold back time.

i would, i would
kill the aching pining
wasting my world.
i would, i would
walk it over

pacing seventy seven steps
to the northern star

and put the melted teardrop
back in the broken heart
of the glacier.