I Was a Kaleidoscope

I put on my overcoat and walked into winter

My teeth chattered rhythms

And they were grouped in twos and threes

Like a Morse code message was sent from me to me

And cars on slippery slopes were stuck

People pushing through their mittens

As I was beginning

To feel it soaking through my shoes

Getting colder with every step I took

To your apartment, dear

I was a kaleidoscope

The snow on my lenses distorting the image

Of what was only one of you

And I didn't know which one to address

As all your lips moved

And this is when I forget to breathe

And all the things I scripted

They sound unfounded

And it's that look that you're giving me

That tells me exactly what you are thinking

"This ain't working anymore"

They got their mothers worked into a panic

Sledding down hills into oncoming traffic

And parents layered clothes

Until the children couldn't move then

And left them outside until their noises were blue

And I got left there, too

I put on my overcoat and walked into winter

My teeth chattered rhythms

And they were grouped in twos and threes

Like a Morse code message was sent from me to me