S E Q U E N C E B L U E
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The storm
fells the power lines
blackens the valley–
when the dogs and the ducks
become silent I’ll worry
Teenage moms in knit caps
their toddlers in snowsuits
using military-green plastic
garbage-can lids as sleds
down the knoll onto the ice
Looking like tanks
state highway trucks
will eventually sand and salt
the icy back roads
that connect when thawed
Sore throat
slowing the pace
injured-wing sparrow
weighted down
with mud
Snow
scraping the
dead skin
off of
yesterday’s heels
An unnamed dog trots
along the unlit shoulder
of the county road
as if he’s got places
to go and things to do
