Once Winter Comes

Don't forget me, even as the snow begins
to whitewash the world into a clean ivory
slate, erase the footprints off cobbled sidewalks,
turn roads into mirrors and cyclists into
accidents waiting to happen. Don't forget me

as the sun turns its back on land, as the sky loses
its depth; once it starts getting hard to uncover
your heart beneath jumpers and jackets piled on
in a haste, words of some other clouding your
eyes with the warmth of condensation. Let time

melt this ice between us. Let us watch miles run
like water. Don't forget me once canals freeze
over like moments you can't let pass or pictures
from books you read as a child. Recite, each day,
my name to music that carries you to warmer

climates, to kisses that need your mouth in order
to be whole. Don't forget me. Once winter comes
and goes, giving way to shorter shadows, longer
days, upturned faces and unfolded arms, we will
lay together again, laughing, warm, under the sun.

-tania de rozario