Groundhog Day

Groundhog Day / Linda Lobmeyer

Despite its nearness
to the savior’s birth
January exiles us
in chilled despair
chaps hands and face

inside we
crack and shatter
gloving our hands
noosing our necks
with scarves, booted

scruffy tracks pursue us
through the dusty snow
we search for a  sprig
of green through
bleary eyes 

and slip toward February
as the sun’s stay
lengthens our days
hope sparks
recalling a bonfire

and the return of
God’s glory
first observed by
Simeon, and today
by the lowly groundhog

escaping the shadow
let us men
eat our pancakes
and regard the light
of the world. 

Groundhog Day: Copyright 2024 by Linda Lobmeyer. All rights reserved.