Shuttered inside in the snow-ladden forest

Feeling lonely

I made a fire

Settled down with a book.

Two pages later

Distracted by crackling and flames

I put the book down

Reached for the TV remote.

That too, put down

There would only be people

Auguing, silliness, telling me what to do or buy

Instead, I looked around at what I had.

Aunt Martha’s old Scrabble game

Dad’s hole-in-one driver

Joanne’s chicken soup tureen

The DVD of Jennifer’s graduation

The photo of Ethan at three standing in my size twelve shoes

Mom’s plug-in Christmas light that bubbles

Grandma’s stained-glass lamp

Cousin Bob’s collection of Irish beer-bottle caps.

Seeing these and more

Souls, now memories, of days gone by

And those shaping days to come

I see. I am not alone. I stand in a forest of souls.

No longer lonely

I put on my heavy coat, wool hat and gloves

Go outside

And breathe in the trees.