Animals in Winter: as large as fog, as warm as bread

Polar Bears, fragrant and prickly,
crouch in the cold
listening for the echo
of flute notes in crystal caves.

Fiercely, fiercely bread bakes
defying the bitter sting
of tule fog.

Follow the rivers
follow their floating trails 
of sycamore leaves and orange blossoms.

One river flows west.
One river flows south.
Crashing together, a joyful tumble.

Saint Francis is beckoning:
he will take you 
all the way to Mexico
on the back of a Gray Whale.

Photo by Gabriel Dizzi on Unsplash