winter contrast

i always hate winter most
you can't smell hamburgers
on the grill
or drink oberon on the porch
laughing softly with friends
or listen to bluegrass while
swaying at outdoor amplitheaters
or walk barefoot through the grass
feeling its softness against your skin
or feel the july sun
making you warm all the time
and instead, you awake
thirty minutes early to scrape
inches of ice coating the windshield
and shiver violently
against the coldness
and watch the world pass by
as you gaze out your window
stuck and immobile
But in the winter, you can
go to the mountains with a friend who
invited you when you didn't expect it
and he'll make you warm,
for a little bit
late at night
when you allow yourself to feel loved