A mountain road in snowfall,
before the sun begins to rise, before plowswinds through hills and trees. Layers of ice
lie in pavement like pavé diamonds set in platinum.
They reflect car headlights and glow
on the lampless road.It steals
Here, quiet is deathly still.
The trees, their branches are brittle skeletonsof comfort. No cashmere coats. No
fur-lined boots. No hot coffee ready at the corner
deli. Even if you were born in the Bronx can your street smarts
steer you through mountain roads in snowfall,
and salt trucks make rounds. Just you
and silence and darkness and snow.
— Amy Seifried
Amy Seifried lives in Fox Chapel and is a member of the Madwomen in the Attic at Carlow University. Her work appears or is forthcoming in Diverse Voices Quarterly, Philadelphia Poets and Schuylkill Valley Journal. Many writers featured in Chapter & Verse are guests of Prosody, produced by Jan Beatty and Ellen Wadey. Prosody airs every Saturday morning on 90.5 FM.