O Janus Poem by Alyssa Rieper

My knuckles crack at the places they fold
And between each joint swells a reddened blister
During the bleak winter month,
In January

When troubles swear allegiance
Stagnant in the hollows of the old naked birches
Webbing the bedroom window with shadow

The drawers hang open
Like mouths snoring in slumber
Drinking the stars’ blanket of glow

The clock’s arms are weighed down with lead
When the stretch of the night is before the peak
And spying over the window sill
Waits the last late evening snowfall