Northeast

She sits on her bed,
unable to take leave
of blanket over toes, part-numb --
no reprieve.
The drafts drift in
as the heat drifts out;
the walls, paper-thin --
no use walking about.
Ice bites the air
behind her back;
she dreams of wood stove
and chimney stack.
Thirty degrees or so --
with heat.
Cold, cold hands
and freezing feet.