Open The Window

Forget the gas bill
for one moment —

open the window.
It’s two days after Christmas 

and a storm’s coming. So what?
We’re in the week between, the week

of supernatural letdown — gifts
broken, disillusionment setting in,

panic arriving ahead of the New Year,
long, long January and February

stretching out gray before us.  So what?
Open the window and let the cold in.

Let in the riotous air that swoops and dives
before a storm.  Let it in and see what it stirs

in your stale rooms — don’t you ever get tired
of being in here?  If you’re not going out

then get the out into your in and maybe
this year will be different and you’ll see the seasons

everywhere, not just on
a screen or through imprisoning glass. But

you’ve got to start somewhere.  Open
the window.  Get cold.  Get ready.