“Charged Particles” by Kersten Christianson

Charged Particles

Nothing but north wind,
black-coffee night sky patterned
by quartz-chipped stars. Fortified
by red wine, chunked chocolate
our pre-ski picnic warmed the blood.
Wrapped in Arctic gear, we crossed
and looped the lagoon parallel
to the Chukchi Sea. Shuffle and glide
of cross-country skis masked
by laughter at our dogs unwilling
to skijor; laughter at the brittle hollow
sound of thirty-below, that crack
of loneliness shelved and distant.

Kersten Christianson

Kersten Christianson is a raven-watching, moon-gazing Alaskan. When not exploring the summer lands and dark winters of the Yukon, she lives in Sitka, Alaska. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing (University of Alaska, Anchorage) and recently published her first collection of poetry, Something Yet to Be Named (Aldrich Press, 2017).

Photo Credit: Scott Larsen