These shriveled fingers are red with cold, engagement ring loosening, threatening to fall. We are getting our photos taken, standing on the ice with no snow. We wanted snow, but we got cold instead. It’s January in Wisconsin, so what did we expect? Our hands rub each other’s hands for warmth until there is no warmth left in either. Our noses feel like pencil erasers. Our jackets are on the ground nearby, along with our emergency hot coffees, for when it becomes too much. We are wearing nice clothing in the middle of a frozen lake, like we’ve dressed up for a party with the only people in the world: ourselves. Even the birds are gone, huddling in their nests for warmth. But we’re not alone. Behind the camera is a photographer. Offscreen an ice fisherman walks by, settles in and digs. Theoretically there are a hundred fish beneath our feet.
These shriveled fingers
These shriveled fingers
These shriveled fingers
These shriveled fingers are red with cold, engagement ring loosening, threatening to fall. We are getting our photos taken, standing on the ice with no snow. We wanted snow, but we got cold instead. It’s January in Wisconsin, so what did we expect? Our hands rub each other’s hands for warmth until there is no warmth left in either. Our noses feel like pencil erasers. Our jackets are on the ground nearby, along with our emergency hot coffees, for when it becomes too much. We are wearing nice clothing in the middle of a frozen lake, like we’ve dressed up for a party with the only people in the world: ourselves. Even the birds are gone, huddling in their nests for warmth. But we’re not alone. Behind the camera is a photographer. Offscreen an ice fisherman walks by, settles in and digs. Theoretically there are a hundred fish beneath our feet.