Warm Winter Days

A poem on winter and life.

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land
- Song of Solomon 2:12, KJV

---

During the midst of winter,
when the sun retreats from the heavens
and hides behind a curtain of clouds,
and the chill of the wind reddens
our faces and is sharp as knives,
there come days when one is given
a moment of rest and respite.

The clouds break apart and give way
to bright blue skies while
the sun sends down its rays.
The lone bluejay’s squawk is joined by
warblers and wrens and juncos,
as the birds’ symphony crescendos.

Though the trees and brush
remain as skeletons with
grey limbs outstretched,
the squirrels make a rush
from their nests to retrieve
acorns that can only be found
after the dirt is softened,
and the very beginnings of the daffodils
can be seen rising from the ground.

It is during these warm winter days
that our spirits are renewed
and our energy is restored.
After periods of grey death,
without even a blanket of snow to soften
the naked trees and golden grass,
one awakes to sunlight
beaming through the window glass.

Our eyes open wider and
our feet move more quickly.
Our bed is no more a place to
hide but a place to be fled.
Like the rooms of our homes our
minds are illuminated and enter
into a halcyon state.

These bright and lively days so
graciously granted to us by the Creator,
are times for praise and thanksgiving
for the gift of tranquility in a world
full of toil and labor.

---

Given all my talk of the importance of poetry lately, I decided to try my hand at it. Frankly, I am not entirely confident in myself here, but I hope I have written something that is, at the very least, “decent” or “pleasant.” I want to continue writing poetry and more creative pieces, and part of that will no doubt entail mistakes and failures. Who knows what this is. But as they say, you miss every shot you don’t take, and even the best fail often. I look forward to improving and hopefully writing things that inspire and point towards beauty.

---