Small Victories

When the wind stops hurtling through the streets
the people come out
to break the ice out of the sidewalk cracks
on the way to some place or some ritual –
and you’re there with them,
cradling your treasures
or swinging your arms,
eyes upward.
Not much, you’d think, to bring yourself here.
Not much to leave your home,
cross that threshold of silence
and lock the door behind you.
Even in the cold, everything falls into place
and you brought yourself out to see it.