An icy road gleams beneath tentative suede covered feet
It dares movement with its glint and shine

One soft wool lined boot slowly slides forward
While its mate tries valiantly to remain rooted where it is
Unwilling
Or unable
To trust the pathway

Black rubber soles search for purchase
To no avail
Buttock pads join vertical boot soles
Stiff, dark sentries snapped to attention

Cold seeps through layers
of wool
of denim
of flesh
Glacial chill settles like hoary frost
Each layer a fragile mass
Delicate, rigid
Easily shattered by a wrong move