the first
of two cold fronts
snap and snarl
promising treacherous
conditions ahead
between a road trip
back to arkansas
and the same faulty
grid which left me
without power or heat
for over eighty hours
the last time winter
decided to assert
her dominance over
the lone star state

part of me wants
the ice to come and coat
the city in crystal
to not have to make
the five hour trip
for a week to magnolia
but that just robs peter
to pay paul leaving
a fool traveling despite
weather and road conditions
when all he wants is to
stay in bed dreaming
of the things destined
to remain just out of reach