A Glimmer of Hope

 

Yesterday I trampled autumn underfoot

those dry brown and red leaves

some crisp others damp and flattened by a drizzzle

The trees now stand disarmed, naked and 

vulnerable before icy winds

A grey blanket has been cast over 

a dormant landscape

Life has withdrawn its clamour from nature's fray

A stillness of inaudible quietude

has enfolded the land

 

Expectant skies await their snowy cargo

from the arctic regions

We anticipate the depths of winter's fury

as those incipient snowflakes begin to fall

Flora and fauna have retreated in good time

before the brazen forces of ice and frost arrive

This covers us as a heavy cloud

but where are we?

 

Huddled and embraced in our homes

where winter appears at the window panes of domesticity

Fires, hot food and fortifying drinks invigorate our innards

We are safe and secure within our homes 

to wile away the weeks to come

before the first snow drops says 'hello'.