arthritic

so unearthly cold and grey, monday. looking out the window from the fifth floor of the lang building this afternoon was dark and unpromising. robin had a headache and gave it to me.
--what are your symptoms? i said
--like a bad hangover plus food poisoning. he said. yes, exactly.
today looking out that window, i wanted to knock down the red brick walls across the street to let in more sky. but the sky is just bleak and mean, so why should i bother?
winter is setting in, slowly sinking down through the streets; i can feel it in my knees and hip bones because they crack when i walk and my ankles ache when i sleep. its a different feeling than summer heat or humid rains pouring through to make elbows and joints ache. it is a cold that claws at ones bones and is irreverent of layered clothes.