A Night of Remembrance

A man, not young but not old, sits,
his expression timeless,
whether it’s sheer exhaustion or pure relief
only known to him.
He sits, bundled up, thinking of everything,
reminiscing in everything that brought him,
brought him to this very spot,
this very moment,
now frozen in his mind.
Behind closed eyelids,
northern lights dance and illuminate the sky,
colors swish in ribbons of bright light.
Dogs’ howling rings in his ears, now cold.
Maybe they’re howling at the moon,
or howling to break the overwhelming silence.
The musher far off yells, “Yah! Yah!”
The snap of the reins echoes from tree to tree.
The man pauses from thought, sighs,
opening his eyes to see a vast blanket of white.

© 2010 Kara Nabors