A placid lake

was the perfect place

to whisper without words.

Frozen over in December

it ceased to move on the surface

still, it flowed beneath icy bounds.

The fish lingered in the water

muffled as they were

by the barrier above.

And we ventured along the edge

sliding silently as we did

along the lake that would relent

with brighter sun.

We knew the fish were there

they had nowhere else to go.

So must our thoughts

swim as silently as the shadows

just under our feet.

The barrier between us would melt

in time and warmer weather.

We would move in lapping waves

and peek out into the air.

We would talk once again

to the birds and the trees

and each other

in time.

We just needed time.

For now we walked together

as we always did

steadying each other on the ice

so precarious,

promising to hold each other

should one of us slip.

You reached for my hand

guiding me over uneven ground

and I held on long after

traction held us to the earth.

Our connection meant

we fell into step

four feet moving with the sound

of just two

our strides tapping a rhythm

with each crunch in the snow

our trail marked behind us

together with the prints

of foxes and hares

now hiding in the brush.

We didn’t need words,

not this day,

only the knowledge

that the ice would melt

and the warm weather

would be here soon.