i was frozen before the decade turned

the ice appeared when i was nine

it didn’t even hurt the first time

but the colder you get the frost pierces your soul

hurts you more each time the coat grows thicker

the frostbite becomes familiar

the water freezing over is something your used to

warmth is but a ghost conjured by nostalgia

you dissimulate the winter, try to emulate the sun

but pretending is futile

the permafrost is upon you

the ice is not only byproduct of your pain, but an initiative to protect that nine year old

who is forever paralyzed in the presence of that cold