Ice Men

One cuts blocks From the abundant river, Hauls them house to house. One falls, unseen, The heart Inoculated cold Against a sky still moving. Moving even now Above the river, The canal. Willows shimmering Across the water, Muskrats diving out of reach. The river whispers Till it freezes— A body Twirling sluggishly Beneath the surface as again One stack, then Spreads the straw. Another falters, Slips, or Puts a sliver on your tongue To feel it melting there— The ice-lit Underworld Of someone else.