winter alert
By Jonathan Chan
after Robert Hayden
i of the fog’s
trust,
graceful slip of
weight,
force
cresting
in a stammer, air
thinning in the throat,
dream of maple and
mountain
ash, stung hand scooping
withered
cedar and pine, toes
supped on slush, and breath
escaping
as a vent,
each trampled like
grass from
wind.
through creeping sweat, by
bending bough i pray,
for with each naked,
quivering tree
or parted
dove,
am i less to you, my God, than
they?
Photo by Marek Szturc on Unsplash
Jonathan Chan is a writer and editor of poems and essays. Born in New York to a Malaysian father and South Korean mother, he was raised in Singapore and educated at Cambridge and Yale Universities. He is the author of the poetry collection going home (Landmark, 2022). He has an abiding interest in faith, identity, and creative expression. More of his writing can be found at jonbcy.wordpress.com.