there’s a witch hidden in me —

spells cast with eerie self-righteousness,

I cackle with malice & delight

frigid blue skies

showcase the sun

today, a stark contrast

perched outside our sunroom window

the scarlet red of old friends

wondering why the feeder’s empty

trees cast skeletal shadows

on new-fallen snow

I watch for dark-eyed juncos

the jarring, delightful blinding

of snow on the ground once again

tube watercolors in a sealed glass jar

like sweets in a candy store

I almost don’t want to disturb them