First Snow 

Me and Regina are out ridin’
and here comes winter on account of it’s snowin’.

It reminds me of the first day of hayin’ 

when the first bale’s ready to be bucked

and it don’t weigh nothin’
and the joys of summer lie ahead 

and then it gets hot and the bales get heavy

and there ain’t no end to ’em.
It’s kinda like that. 

I’m thinkin’ on Christmas and glad tidin’s and all

but it’s dreary and cold
and the days are gettin’ short and it’s weighin’ on me 

and I reckon I’ve been thinkin’ out loud again
on account of Regina says ain’t you a ray of sunshine. 

—

Christmas Paradox 

Colt’s big sister will be comin’ home

for Christmas vacation.
She’s been like my own sister 

since I was knee-high to a grasshopper

only I stopped thinkin’ brotherly thoughts on her

some time ago. 

I ain’t goin’ down that road again.

It’ll pass once I see her

and we get talkin’ on old times. 

It’s me actin’ silly

and it don’t mean nothin’ except I’m human

which ain’t no grand revelation. 

How there’s room for thoughts on her
while my mind’s set on Regina I do not know. 

—

Coffee and Cake 

It’s Christmas break and me and Colt

are over at the Strickers’
movin’ cows from here to there. 

It ain’t no big job only it is cold work.

Mrs Stricker fixes us coffee and cake when we come

in which sounds awful homey 

which is exactly what she’s aimin’ at

and if the world had
had a little more coffee and cake 

we’d all be considerably more content in most regards.

I’ve yet to come to appreciate coffee
but that ain’t the point. 

The point is Mr and Mrs Stricker and me and Regina

and Colt and Laura are content in most regards. 

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