Snow falls on the distant hills.

I do not have to be there to know the feeling.

The flakes land on the skin.

Dry and damp at the same time.

Soft before fading into numb.

I do not have to be frozen to know what that feels like.

***

There is a stage after the numbness that takes a person by surprise.

A shocking amount of burning, stinging pain.

Cold so extreme that it feels hot again.

Enough to freeze the tears on your feathered eyelashes.

Bejeweled in a way not fit for the living.

Better fit gathered on a white pillow in a sunny room from staring at the light.

***

I know you have felt the feeling before.

How life tends to counterbalance itself.

The push back you never wanted.

The ways you have frozen yourself cold.

Until the pain is blinding.

Until you wish you never knew what it feels like.