Which is as thin of substance as the air
And more inconstant than the wind...
· Mercutio, in Romeo and Juliet

this ice,
eyelid-thin, rises drowsily off of rock
as if furtively roused, like a loose tooth
one swallows while asleep. weakened
in midmorning sun, this ice
languishes, loosens fingers, relinquishes
nocturnal grip on rock, allowing light
to slip into its gap. restless,
anticipatory, erogenous, this ice
shifts in its sleep, furls itself instinctively
as a snail will when touched, withdrawing
at sudden warmth. this ice
sips heat from my fingers
sleepily, chokes up
cracks and craters, tiny accidents
of thirst and anxiousness. finally
awakening far too late, this ice
finds itself fallen out of bed
in broad daylight, disgracefully displaced
and unexpectedly alone,
the dwindling remains of rain.