Against The Wind

©2026 Steve Gray

To be human is to support a small fire to create warmth

in a cave made of bone, wood and deep flickering shadows.

We work through the biting frost of the world,

our breath in the cold, morphing into brief, white ghosts,

reminding us that we are mostly made of water and air.

We ache for a hand to press against the chill.

A sudden spark of kindness to thaw the heavy dark,

knowing our warmth may be the only true shield we have

against a silent and rigorous series of seasons.