winter's leftovers {a poem}

The freezer is full of winter's leftovers
Tupperwares that are icy nights, hot soups, and fleece blankets.
Lentil, tomato, chili, ham and wild rice:
Once, they were comfort and sustenance
against the cold, against
the all-consuming dark.

They fought
loneliness,
although most people just thought
of them as dinner.

And come June
most people will think
of salads with a light vinaigrette
and fresh basil from the garden
as they clean out their freezers.

"I can't stand the thought
of soup right now,"
they'll say,
throwing away winter
and
the
past.