Inn of the Wandering Dragon

If coldness here then only
something fully-fledged
that scuffled
in the courtyard
& survived
left this upheaval
in every direction

Something that got loose
just in time
before central heating
& hot-water system
admitted their failings
before the house
gave in

Something I sensed
coming, though not
born to it
in the complete cessation
of movement
in the sky's tightness

Something intact
The level of shutdown
The going on

- Snow, by Tracy Ryan