Winter Of 1949 Poem by Jan Oskar Hansen

the cold winter of 1949

The frost hung mercilessly over our town
the woman who had had her nose frozen off
in the winter of 1933, said this time it was worse.
It was bad, cats jumping from one rubbish bin
to another froze to death, in mid-air hanging
like ghastly holograms.
A man on the steps, his wife wouldn't him in
froze to death while singing Lily Marlene.
His words hung above his head like frozen
jumbled fog, white as a seraph's giggle.
A gas blast had occurred, the flame
hang in mid-air like yellow icicles waiting
for the weather to be warm enough to light a fire.
A man on the radio said the frost was caused
by the presiding war, as God had punished
the people of Dressed create a firestorm
apparently, he hated the Germans
as the frost lost its grip, the gas bang re-occurred
fire engines raced to the accident.
The furniture in the basement, inherited by
forefathers became firewood lasting to spring.