First Person
Thawing The Heart
By Susan Gibbons
Email: SGibbonsIA at msn dot com
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December 25, 2007

One step outside,
On a below zero day.
My skin tightens.
A swift, shallow inhalation.
My lungs fill slightly,
Quickly. Exhilerating.
The oxegen is thin.
It smells of ice.
The car radio comes on.
A sad, never ending song.
The warming air
Closes around me.
Like a homemade sweater.
Knit with memories.
The icicle in the corner
of my eye melts.
A tear is pulled down
my cheeks.
Moisture falls onto
my downy coat.
It is salty and warm.
So much to melt.
Slowly. Very slowly.
Healing is warm.
Peacefully painful.
On a bitter, winter day,
The heart is thawed.

About the author:
I write a mix of fact and fiction, just to keep my friends guessing. I just started working with senior citizens and realized I have a lot left to do, so I'll have a good story to tell my grandchildren one day.

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