She opens
the drapes
on every window,

turns on
all the lamps
in the house.

She thinks it
brightens the
place up,

which of course
it does.
He thinks

also,
though,
of next month's

gas and electric
bills: Ah, well.
That's the price

winter exacts
for a bit of warmth,
a bit of light.

Bio: Pete Lee lives with his wife Kelly in Ridgecrest, California, a small town in the Mojave Desert midway between Mount Whitney and Death Valley. His poetry has recently appeared online at Right Hand Pointing, Armada, Perigee, Unfettered Verse, The Orange Room Review, and tinywords.