A Twinkle of Life

The cold encircles me,
penetrating through to my bones,
passing through as if I am a ghost.

The numbness fills my body
and my brain finally slows,
down to a quiet drip of ice.

I think to myself

if this could be the end
if I could die right here
if I just stopped thinking
if I just stopped breathing
if it was all over . . .

Snow covers me like a blanket
as I lie on the cold frozen ground
with only the stars as witness.

I watch them glimmer in the sky
as my eyelids fall and i let out a breath
with a smile across my face.

. . . I could be free.