Support 110 years of independent journalism.

  1. Culture
  2. Poetry
19 January 2022

The NS Poem: Januaries

A new poem by Paula Bohince.

By Paula Bohince

A cold most lethal, the pine 
if looked at long enough. My ice vision, 
crown of deer inside, beheld, coats smoldering,
and one valiant cardinal above 
stringing invisibles. When it becomes
unbearable, I’ll describe this in the colors of 
a children’s book. Winters with Annie
playing orphans in the woods: foraging, peeling
hours in all those blades beneath a bitter
lemon sun, made sweet by not being alone.  
Enter, snow. One dissociation sifts over 
another, with decades between, hooves retreating
into the past, whatever that is, the cold
accumulating all its meanings.

Paula Bohince is a poet based in Pennsylvania. Her most recent collection is “Swallows and Waves” (Sarabande)

[See also: “Designer at the Cafe“: a new poem from Paula Bohince]

Select and enter your email address Your new guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture each weekend - from the New Statesman. A quick and essential guide to domestic politics from the New Statesman's Westminster team. A weekly newsletter helping you understand the global economic slowdown. The New Statesman’s weekly environment email. Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates.
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.

This article appears in the 19 Jan 2022 issue of the New Statesman, The end of the party