Soon Enough, You’ll Be Cold Again

All weather ends; all climates change,
But some changes you won’t survive,
And most changes come after those.

Up at the reservoir, the heat
Is not so bad, summery fun
For those escaping the desert

With their motorboats and kayaks,
Coolers, floaties, and paddle boards.
You like to watch them, since you know

What this location’s like in ice,
In late fall, after the colors
Are gone and the first snows have come.

You know this place when it’s less fun.
You know it empty of people,
Except maybe a late angler

Hunched in waders against the wind,
New snow clinging to his hat brim.
You might live to see him again.