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.