Here:
brace and protect yourself with this piece of dark.
Yes, it is cold,
but there are heavy coats to keep you warm if you need comfort,
and you may want to cover your face, too,
for we can be quite bitter.
No, I can't stay with you.

Tuck this silence
into your lip,
to save for when it's ripe.
But wait,
or else it will be too hard to chew,
and anyway, it wouldn't have any flavor.

{I intended to write more for this one, but it has yet
to occur.}