joan baez
february
I threw your keys in the water, I looked back  They'd frozen half way down in the ice  They froze up so quickly, the keys and their owners  Even after the anger, it all turned silent and  The everyday turned solitary  So we came to February   First we forgot where we'd planted those bulbs last year  Then we forgot that we'd planted at all  Then we forgot what plants are altogether  And I blamed you for my freezing and forgetting and  The nights were long and cold and scary  Can we live through February?   You know I think Christmas was a long red glare  Shot up like a warning, we gave presents without cards  And then the snow  And then the snow came, we were always out shoveling  And we'd drop to sleep exhausted  Then we'd wake up, and it's snowing   And February was so long that it lasted into March  And found us walking a path alone together  You stopped and pointed and you said, "That's a crocus"  And I said "What's a crocus?" and you said "It's a flower"  I tried to remember but I said "What's a flower?"  You said "I still love you"   The leaves were turning as we drove to the hardware store  My new lover made me keys to the house  And when we got home, well we just started chopping wood  Because you never know how the next will be  And we'll gather all our arms can carry  I have lost to February