JANUARY

           

                                    When January wind its fist doth shake

                                    And wooden fences tear from their places

                                    When horses start, when cattle shelter take

 

                                    To the hearth draw close and a fire make

                                    Do not be distressed with anxious faces

                                    When January wind its fist doth shake

 

                                    When raindrops pierce the surface of a lake

                                    When the head spins and the heartbeat races

                                    When horses start, when cattle shelter take

 

                                    Old trees bend double as their branches break

                                    Each lost traveller his way retraces

                                    When January wind its fist doth shake

 

                                    In the storm filled nights when infants awake

                                    When the windows slam and the sentry paces

                                    When horses start, when cattle shelter take

 

                                    Fear not this fury for your children’s sake

                                    Gales with gentle breezes Spring soon replaces

                                    When January wind its fist doth shake

                                    When horses start, when cattle shelter take.