Open the refrigerator & it laughs
Look outside at the white fire
Twirling above an exploding deep freeze
White whirl upward, upward
Down & ever in
Deep chill atoms collide
In ode to the wind
Lizards of snow
Blow along the road
& sidewalks
Twist into rough helixes
That sweep themselves
& let go

Jack Blizzard stands at the edge of town
He breathes in & car batteries die
Slicks the road and exhales harder--
That man headed home
Won't make it this time--
A thin picnic blanket
Locked in the trunk--
Anyway car doors froze --
The snow dance--a burning lung--
White twist--the poor man shouts--
Blood holes up finally in its canyon--
Gleam popsicle & stalagmite
--then the letting go--one breath
Glazes him to the windscreen.

The houses are shaking, a tubercular
Whistle pitches high scream
Drops hard to bang on the window
Like passing thunder.
Old Jack Blizzard's at the door, now,
Chainsaw laughing as he tricks the lock
Blows it open, whirls things like a hay devil
And you have to push so hard to get him out.

Jack cackles down Main Street,
Takes an ice hammer from his belly
Smashes himself to a thousand shards
And where he stood
Poisoned wolf is born,
Bites the ass of a wino
Waking to his heart's chill
And regurgitates bloody snow
Stumble, prey to the wolf
Gone long ago.

Windows roar as the ice seeds
Hatch vapour renditions in the air:
Coyote, jack rabbit, buffalo, and bear
Join the wolf turning out of Main into Elm,
Snow lizards powder the sidewalks
Sweep all before, Jack's fingers
Glide under every door.