Read by Adam Clay

Is it spring in Philadelphia yet?
I’m still waiting for the river to unfreeze.
The buds must be poking up in the garden now.
I put so many seeds in the soil I have no idea what to expect.
Were you in the lab all day?
Do the cats have enough water?
It seems like every day the snow melts,
Then freezes, then melts,
Then it snows all over again.
You’re getting spring first.
I’ve never been this far north this time of year.
I came here to see what would happen.
I buried myself in the snow,
Listening for something.
It’s breathing quietly.
I miss you. Don’t forget to take out the compost
On Thursday. What are you making for dinner?
I thought I would discover something here.
The earth is so still.
Someone said they saw an otter
Scuttling across the frozen river
But I missed it. I think I figured
Out one thing: that quivering
Feeling in my heart comes straight
From the earth’s mantle.
And there are no metaphors.
I’m sitting here waiting in the plain snow.