Cabernet
Thomas DeFreitas
It’s cabernet o’clock in Arlington.
Outside, a winter day draws to an end.
An icy glare of white and blinding sun
Brightens the west and sinks below the bend
Of the tree-lined horizon. Warmth and cheer
Inside these walls, with Solitude (dear friend!)
And cordial flames of an imagined fire.
Flashes and flickers blaze inside the hearth
Made of the mind’s untamable desire
For beauty, peace—for what? heaven on earth?
Outside, it darkens. Wine gives fluency
To drowsy Muses, coaxes them to mirth
And banishes solemnity and gloom:
See, how they dance inside this little room!