Poetry by Laura Hannett
Trudging in my brilliant scarf
my coat, my hat, my gloves
I see that
as much as any other creature
I am an adornment to the world
The cardinal
so lavishly and recklessly red
in the black-and-white tracery of snowy branches
is not more bracing to the eye
Shaking not a little
from the pitiless wind
I fear that
as much as any other creature
I am a trifle to the world
The rabbit
huddled with ruffled fur
beneath the spirea’s bones
is not more exposed to the cold
Returning home
to warmth that bathes my icy face
I own that
I am some fortune’s darling
The cats
so thoroughly and sensuously lost in sleep
on this freezing afternoon
are not more spoiled than me
Laura Hannett lives in Central New York with her marvelous family. She is a graduate of Hamilton College and the College of William and Mary.
