I saw a sliver of sun
like a fingerlake
in the afternoon
rainclouds

I saw clear
if only for a moment we were
the twists in the paper that bind
one piece to its partner

we were the dancers en pointe
and we slid across the rooftop
where a strong wind
would take us over the edge

and we were old branches
worn raw waiting for the cold
to settle in in silence
like snowflakes on a subway rail

Patrick Bahls is Associate Professor of Mathematics and Honors Program Director at the University of North Carolina, Asheville. He is the author of the recent text Student writing in the quantitative disciplines: A guide for college faculty. His poetry has appeared in Adirondack Review, Eunoia Review, Far Enough East, Unshod Quills, and Walking Is Still Honest.