I saw my breath today

I saw my breath today

on my way to school

sat in classrooms hour after hour

half there half in that cloud of white

that escaped my mouth

this morning.

I saw my breath today

and don’t know why it excites me so

to think of the cold dark months to come

one blur of shortened days.

I saw my breath today

and with it I saw something

stir beneath the surface of the earth

of the equilibrium of all things:

we are ready for what’s next.

I saw my breath today

again and again and again

proving each breath

marking the air with my life

chilling me to the bone

yet making me warm with

anticipation.

I saw my breath today

it made me happy

it made me think of things

around the corner

it made me think of things

that have happened

that are already happening.

for if I saw my breath today

I am one step closer to that cocoon of

cold, a cuddly cardigan

all too familiar

that I shrug on each

year.