Poem of the Day: “The Snowman’s Child” by Ross Balcom, Frequent Contributor and Poet of the Week

Songs of Eretz Poetry Review is pleased to present “The Snowman’s Child” by Ross Balcom, a Songs of Eretz Frequent Contributor and this week’s Poet of the Week.  Mr. Balcom’s biography may be found in the “About Our Editor & Frequent Contributors” section.

The Snowman's Child

Ross Balcom

"I've got to get going

or I'll never get gone,"

the snowman said,

and disappeared

into his own goodbye.

*

White is the color

of goodbye.

*

He left us kids

heartbroken, damaged.

He was our special friend,

the magic one.

Our "abandonment issues"

are vaster than winter,

bigger than life.

They call us

the "snowman's children,"

the suicides.

*

Sometimes

in winter, I hear

his footsteps

in the snow outside.

(How I love

his heavy boots.)

When I rush outdoors

to greet him,

he's never there.

Only the smoke

from his pipe

hangs in the air.

Then my knees

give way, and I fall

to the ground,

crying.

*

I'm not afraid

to cry,

and I'm not afraid

to bleed.

I cut myself

to see the blood run.

The heart's river,

that takes me back

to him.

*

We'll see him

again.

We'll see him

when we die.

*

White is the color

of goodbye.

The winter's white,

the snowman's smile.

White is the color

of the void,

where earth and sky

become one. 

*

Naked, I step

into winter.

Time to walk,

time to die.

I've got to get going

or I'll never get gone.

Poet’s Notes:  This was inspired by "Frosty the Snowman." Note the abundance of holiday cheer.