where once the granite steps stood
a stone and lichen alligator now resides
Likeness
like the mountains
winter rolls on and on
Attempt
cold hearted
barbed wire
fencing in winter
Respite
sunlight on birch bark
a respite from winter’s whiteness
Safe Place
the mountain view
is my refuge
Eagle’s Perch
an open marsh
the solitary dead pine
this is where the eagle prays
Broken
the laughter of the running brook
breaks the silence of snow
Gathered
together
the comforts
of community
Steady
this winter’s snow
comes and goes
while steady is the cold
Chosen
bright spot
in a grey winter day
Thaw
temperatures rise
the ice parts
green reaches for the sun
Long Shadow
January’s long shadow
reaches for the new year
as she carries the past
Time Keepers
the trees by the tracks
keep the train’s schedule
Beyond
a lone pine
and the mountain beyond
behind brave branched trees
Practice
winter is
the practice
of patience
Reverie
corn stalks
skate and ski
Ray
a ray of sun
the yellow barn
in a cold field
Purple Dawn
it is the sky
that flowers
in winter
Covered
white brightness
blankets everything
in winter’s wonderland
Mountain View
winter haze
a cloudless day
just time, the mountain and I
Deep Bow
in deference
sunflowers bow
to the new year
Lessons in Stone
weathering life
requires all your strength
Many
a storytelling of crows
convened in the birch
ushering spirits past
Roam
memories fastened to the fence post
new dreams roam the field
Reverence
beneath crowns of white
hydrangeas bow their heads
in reverence to winter
Tiny Snowy Pine
in winter’s white silence
it spoke of peace and love
Compromise
the apple tree
surrenders but does not succumb
to gravity’s demands
Understanding
the pond’s edge
the reach of shadows
winter renders a new view
and understanding of the familiar
Pileated
the woodpecker reaches out
for the most succulent frozen crabapple
on the tree
Hallelujah
to bloom
in the winter sun
is to rejoice