i walked down the chilly sidewalk
past the rusty frozen oak leaves
and the bird-pecked pines
slowly oozing sap like candle wax
the wind turned my bare hands blue
when i was unwise enough
to pull them from my pockets
we few inhabitants of the park
were silent on our solitary strolls
under that close and clouded sky
in winter the world shows its age
i passed a pair of dying trees
nearly shed of bark
their gleaming trunks exposed like bone
and i remembered all the seeds
planted in the soil this year
old bodies buried beneath the ground
until the day they’ll sprout
and go dancing through the dawn
around a bend in the path
i saw a row of baby saplings
their roots warmed by mufflers of mulch
i eyed their slender trunks
their crisped, curly leaves
and wondered how many
would survive the snows ’til spring
yet what lies beneath is hidden
to my eyes, and deep down
the dormant life awaits awakening
nearing home i left the path
and walked across the field
of drooping grass and leaves
rain-wet lichens shown brilliantly
from the apple tree’s bare branches
and on its neighbor lilac i noticed
new buds forming green and fresh
next to summer’s withered blooms
i scaled the steps and with stiffened fingers
turned the key in the lock, walking into
the welcoming smells of home
in the living room the Christmas lights
twinkled from the tree
and though my face was red
and white with cold
my heart, bright with rebirth
sang joy, joy, joy
A very evocative piece. I could feel the cold – and the joy.