February - Dar Williams

I threw your keys in the water, I looked back

They’d frozen halfway down in the ice

They froze up so quickly, the keys and their owners

Even after the anger, it all turned silent

And the everyday turned solitary, so we came to February

First we forgot where we’d planted those bulbs last year

And then we forgot that we’d planted it all

Then we forgot what plants are altogether

And I blamed you for my freezing and forgetting

And the nights were long and cold and scary, can we live through February?

You know I think Christmas was a long red glare

Shot up like a warning, we gave presents without cards

And then the snow, and then the snow came

We were always out shoveling and we dropped to sleep exhausted

Then we wake up, and it’s snowing

And February was so long that it lasted into March

And found us walking a path alone together

You stopped and pointed and you said, «That's a crocus»

And I said, «What's a crocus?», And you said, «It's a flower»

I tried to remember, but I said, «What's a flower?»

You said, «I still love you»

The leaves were turning as we drove to the hardware store

My new lover made me keys to the house

And when we got home, well we just started chopping wood

Because you never know how next year will be

And we’ll gather all our arms can carry, I have lost to February