John Schneider

In Winter’s Country

All our roads swallowed by sheets of ice lose
their glitter, overnight harden our reflections,

remind us that some changes don’t take
a lifetime to interpret. Look beyond that

leafless brush, our own barren branches,
the rot that slowly settles into root. Past

snow’s blank expression and how brittle
the breeze on our skin. How snowflakes

burst into water with the gentlest touch.
Not all bodies are rigid, dense, enduring.

John Schneider’s debut poetry collection, Swallowing the Light, (2022) is Pinnacle Book Achievement Poetry Best Book winner 2023, New York City Big Book Award Distinguished Favorite for Poetry in 2023, International Book Awards Poetry 2023 and nominated for the Hoffer Award. His non-fiction book, Dreaming and Being Dreamt, was published by Routledge in 2023. His poetry was chosen by Victoria Chang as a finalist in Atlanta Review’s 2023 International Poetry Competition, where he was a Merit Award Winner in 2021 and 2024. In 2024 he was a finalist for the Rash Award and Crosswinds award in poetry. He is also a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee. He resides in Berkeley, California.