Windchill,
the minor key that
blows in with
the horns

Tremolo,
a shimmer of
ice, the roads we
drive to rehearsal

Crunchy German,
heftig, Plötzlich,
the sounds of our boots
on the snow towards
the hall

Six flats,
icicles hanging by
the wall of clef
The thaw of
Adagietto—
sehr langsam
open-heart surgery

And, on the way to
the garage,
our tears freezing for
this unfathomable
life.

Australian-born Katrin Talbot’s collection The Devil Orders A Latte was just released from Fernwood Press and The Square Footage of Awe is forthcoming from Kelsay Books. Falling Asleep at the Circus (Turning Point Books) and The Waiting Room for the Imperfect Alibis (Kelsay Books) are her other full-length collections. She has seven chapbooks, two Pushcart Prize nominations and quite a few chickens. Links to the books can be found on her website, www.katrintalbot.com,  and you can follow her on Instagram: @ktalbot21.