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# Ice
- URL: https://dianaludwick.com/ice/
- Published: 2026-01-26T22:51:26.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T20:12:27.000Z
- Description: “Ice,” a vignette on progress and purpose, poem 026 in a series of 365 poems written by Diana Ludwick in 2026. Photo by Diana Ludwick (c) 2026.
- Author: Diana Ludwick
- Tags: 2026 Poetry Challenge, Poems, Chocolate, Hard tasks, Ice, Progress, recent events, Snow, #Migrated-1792872215677, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-10-24 20:03

I need help, he calls out.  
I join him in the dangerous terrain.  
Ice surrounds us; it’s unclear  
how we can improve this situation.  
  
We’re gonna need tools  
And strength and patience  
and a wherewithal,  
which we muster and apply.  
  
We start slowly, to avoid dying.  
We chip away towards safety  
Ahead: an infinite stretch.  
  
Our bodies ache  
Our tools buckle  
Our optimism flags  
Our task feels impossible.  
  
Bystanders question our actions  
but we are where we need to be.  
We have to keep going, he says.  
So we keep going, onward.  
  
Our feat feels futile as   
every action we make  
has ice closing back in on us.  
No, our progress is not linear.  
  
Still, we persevere.  
It’s so cold out here but  
the doing is worth doing.  
We hack, heave, hoist, and hurtle ice.  
  
He calls it.  
We lay down our spades.  
Driveway now clear of snow;  
our minds still ripple with headlines.  
  
Transformation takes time —   
and our long path forward is both  
always needed and never ending.  
  
So inside we go   
to remove damp gloves  
unlace lug sole boots and clamor  
to raise steamy mugs of chocolate.  
  
The fight to keep this world free  
and functional will never stop,   
but for the moment we will  
celebrate this one small win.