poetpotter

Deep in winter, when everything is frozen hard, you'll know the feeling, I'm sure, of bundling up to keep warm when you do have to go out. Scarf, hat and mittens. When the trees are coated and the rooftops are layered with snow. Here's how it feels... The Cold Creaks Buildings creak and groan, it’s so cold; snow crunches under boots, shoes and tires,   hard-packed freezes words as they are spoken all that warm air escaping into the ether —frozen ether People hurry up the wind-scoured street wearing hats of fur, fleece and fabric hands in mitts, hands in pockets, scarves around neck, nose and mouth catching all that warm air to breathe back in but some brave the bitter cold foolishly with coat unbuttoned, unzipped no scarf, hat or mittens to keep them warm Will the cold wind whistle in their ears, freeze their fingers, freeze their nose, and frost their hair? will their breath turn to icicles— no scar...

Snow is piling up here in the northern hemisphere. We're getting winter cold and the precipitation to match. We're also getting closer to Christmas, a holiday that comes with faith-based understanding.  Throughout Advent, we wait, even as people in the time before Jesus was born, only they waited for decades, maybe even centuries for the promised one that God would send as Saviour. We wait while stores play Christmas tunes and carols, host Santa Claus and seduce us to buy, buy buy so that our loved ones will be excited on Christmas morning or Christmas Eve, whenever the holiday celebrations are held in our family. We give gifts too, and try to do it without the excess that strains our January and February budgets. Trying to stay within our means and remember that Christmas is about celebrating the Saviour of the world. More on that in a few days. Today, a poem about winter, published by Tower Poetry in its Winter Edition 2004-2005, Vol. 53 No. 2 Frozen Beauty ...