16 degrees…
16 degrees
breath turns to fog,
laughing back at me.
~
Socks and layers first.
Then the jacket
that fights back.
Zippers argue
with my sore hands.
~
Bray Bray watches me
like he already knows
this part works out.
~
I lift him.
The cold tries
to make a point.
Then he smiles—
wide, sudden,
like he flipped a switch
somewhere in my chest.
~
The morning backs off.
My hands remember
why they’re steady.
Winter loses its edge.
~
16 degrees,
but I’m warm now.
~
That’s all from me — Chris B.



“like he flipped a switch somewhere in my chest.” Yeah. That’s the exact thing. I felt my face soften without asking. Winter can yap all it wants, that line wins.
16 degrees… nice spring day here, mind you that’s Celsius 😂