BASSO PROFUNDO: A Carol
by Wesli Court
Blow by blow the north wind sings,
His bass reverberates and rings.
Boreas whistles from the sky
Making the snowflakes whirl and fly,
Each fleck a frigid butterfly —
Blow by blow the north wind sings
A song that makes our chattering teeth
Sound like the rattling of a wreath,
And in the background, far beneath,
His bass reverberates and rings.
The silent chorus of the stars
Waits in the wings with reservoirs
Of winter agues, massed catarrhs —
Blow by blow the north wind sings
Noël, noël, beneath the trees
Bereft of leaves — oh! hear us sneeze,
Cough and snuffle, hack and wheeze
As north wind’s bass resounds and rings —
Blow by blow the north wind sings,
His bass reverberates and rings.
Copyright © 2009 by Wesli Court.