Jeff takes him

to Rio. A samba starts
when they get to the beach,
Sugarloaf Mountain sipping
a Quentao in a cloud. They dance
even though in real
life they do that poorly. Here
a soft percussive beat rises
up from their feet, pulses
through their bodies.

The scene changes. It’s the Yukon.
In January. The thermometer prays
to a god it doesn’t believe in
for just one warm degree.
Jeff and Jerry huddle, sure
they won’t outlive the night,

but they do—woodpeckers
at the suet feeder, the coffeemaker’s
light wheeze, Brazil and Yukon
with tails high, hungry.

Kenneth Pobo has a new book forthcoming from Blue Light Press called Bend Of Quiet. @KenPobo.