Thought I did. Remember setting aside the time

for words before my breakfast of boiled eggs &

toast, before my nap, before watching news

of fires in California while I was trapped here

under a foot of West Virginia ice & snow.

Maybe it came during hours of waiting for a saint

to plow the driveway & cul-de-sac.

I clearly envision planning to do this thing,

but when I checked my page today,

I found it blank: my past a lie I told myself

to ease the way later when I left the hill

to purchase cigarettes & snacks, &

by the time I made it home triumphant,

I never doubted I trapped perfection

on paper; my verse for the ages

escaped through an open window.