Friends of vibrance and admiration Braying oxen yoked together by fraternity Hank and Harry catching their breath Before the chilling bite of an impending winter A river by the wayside has already frozen The wind blowing needles across red faces Reproachful trees bending on twisted branches Shiftless bounds of sorrow blanket the hillside Two creatures bring familiarity and relief From the pain of December and sudden loss A moment's worth of regret is stolen Away with the wind and the snow and the cold Hank and Harry dream of being pirate captains They lay in their tawdry ship and gamble doubloons Some of the flattest golden rocks they could find Arcing banks settled against their frozen backs