Since we last saw each other,
the lake has frozen in our hearts,
and we found it the same beneath the trees.

The boat had lost its oars,
and the ripples in the water stiffened,
like the grimaces of a sullen face.

Oh, how we searched,
beneath our feet,
for a fragment of grass
that still held the imprint
of warm embraces
from autumn days!

We longed for the shadows,
whose intensity
reminded us of the strength of the sun—
the one that warmed us
and urged us
to cast off our garments,
just as walnuts shed
their green husks
when they ripen.

Now,
the bird carries our shadows lightly in its beak...
It had pecked them away
in a pause between its song.

The kiss burns in our souls
like the stove before us,
where we set the coffee pot
and the corn kernels to boil.

The fire within rises,
and smoke drifts up the chimney—
from afar,
let it be known
that a fire still burns,
consuming the colors of us.