Ella Lukowiak
the carolers
the bite of cold invites
gentle delicacies of cider
breath and laughter that can
be plucked from the air
we wrap it around our fingers
in a peppermint promise of arms
that will hug you like a
hand-sewn sweater
i promise if you pull the thread
and we unravel i won’t turn away
from the truth of you lain bare
i will listen to your glass heart
even when we are both wearing gloves
to protect us from frostbite
even if we can no longer feel
the grooves of each other’s skin
when we are a knotted ball of yarn
grown too cumbersome to carry
in our pockets any longer,
i will be there at the edge of the fire
holding my hot cocoa out like
a holiday harmony passed back and forth
until the crowds disperse and the fire
goes out and our voices are sore
because we have run out
of songs to sing
the bite of cold invites
gentle delicacies of cider
breath and laughter that can
be plucked from the air
we wrap it around our fingers
in a peppermint promise of arms
that will hug you like a
hand-sewn sweater
i promise if you pull the thread
and we unravel i won’t turn away
from the truth of you lain bare
i will listen to your glass heart
even when we are both wearing gloves
to protect us from frostbite
even if we can no longer feel
the grooves of each other’s skin
when we are a knotted ball of yarn
grown too cumbersome to carry
in our pockets any longer,
i will be there at the edge of the fire
holding my hot cocoa out like
a holiday harmony passed back and forth
until the crowds disperse and the fire
goes out and our voices are sore
because we have run out
of songs to sing