Why Snow Cries
When each part touches,
divided arms
unite
in an infinite
matrix; apparent strength
hiding its true fragility.
Only after it becomes so cold
and pressure is applied – heavy
boots stamping down on
a frozen surface, dense
enough to take it for a while –
does the whole world beneath
your feet begin to break.
It is a cold contract;
squealing sounds muzzled by
plangent pitch-perfect silence.
Louise Longson lives in West Oxfordshire. She is a qualified psychotherapist specialising in trauma and enduring mental health issues. Currently she works to support those distressed by chronic loneliness and social isolation. Her work appears in various publications, including One Hand Clapping, Fly on the Wall, Dreich, Nymphs, The Ekphrastic Review, Drifting Sands and Reach. She is a winner of the Dreich "Slims" competition 2021 with her chapbook Hanging Fire. You can find her here.