after midnigh
in cold extended quietness
frost glitt’ring on my garden crests
frozen dew in moonlit whiteness
on bare branches empty birds‘ nests

after midnight
time of profound thoughtfulness
frost expiring cold subsistence
songs of breathing tonelessness
to inward ears of past existence

after midnight
oh bearer of consoling dreams
next spring will crack this icy cover
no time to waste for further keens
then why so wan abandoned lover