Winter Weather

Behold, this winter weather withers
Branches barely clinging beneath
Icy facades, cascading temperatures
Sweep through, settling into nooks.
Even our tropical-infused landscape
Makes no escape from frosty, freezing air.
Moonlit, star-scattered velvet sky of night,
Assures an icy cold resting on land.
The calm comes, bringing the freeze.
No winds now to scatter the dancing leaves.
They did dance to keep warm, under a clear, frigid dome.
Embrace warmth inside your heart and home.

I wrote this poem in the midst of several days last week of below freezing temperatures overnight, while in my home with only two portable heaters to warm me. Layers is how I kept the cold from sinking in. Living in an old place is a delight for its charm, but not very efficient when it comes to windows that keep the temperature outside from entering in. Even though I froze, I felt thankful that a real touch of winter had come this far south, and I tried to focus (when my brain thawed) and reflect on the beauty of winter, because I cannot deny the draw it has on me. 

As I wrote the words, I was reminded of a particular walk I took a few years ago, around Christ Church Meadow in Oxford. It was early Spring, but it was so cold, the trees seemed to be shivering. The breeze was icy, the ground seemed frosty, and the trees needed blankets.