A Winter Scene



Winter dresses the hillsides and roads in white
studded with shimmering crystals; bare trees
bristle as brash winds swirl across the land.
Death has swept the gardens clean of color
and greenery with only a bleak stalk poking
up here and there through the blanket of snow.
An old cat scurries across the porch, its fur
quivering in the stormy blast.
                                                All is still –
then a scraping sound pierces the darkness
as a snow plow tunnels the roads, clearing
a path for travelers laden with scarves, ear
muffs, mittens and boots. Their breaths 
blow smoke signals in the chilly air
as they step gingerly into a frozen world.

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