Weight Distribution

I took the shortcut across the retention pond

because the mail doesn't wait for the thaw.

The sky was a flat and colorless blonde,

and the air was a sudden, sharp claw.

Then came the sound, a dry, tectonic snap

right beneath the heel of my boot.

Like a bone breaking inside a trap,

or a frost-killed, splintering root.

A single gray hair of a fissure grew,

cutting the surface into two jagged parts.

It’s funny how little it takes to get through

to where the real shivering starts.