When I was very little
My dad and his brother
Built
a huge snowman
Bigger
than any other
He
was as tall as Dad
And
was round and fat
It
had coal for eyes
And
a big black hat
A
scarf about its neck
For
sartorial style
A
large carrot nose
And
a twig for a smile
Knobbly stick arms
With gloves at the end
A
belt around its girth
Like
a cummerbund
I
loved that snowman
Standing
so very tall
Until
the eventual thaw
And
I watched him fall
The chill wind
Bitter and biting
Buffeted the house
Rattling the windows
And whistling at the door
Exploiting every weakness
Exposing every crack
To chill us to our bones
Moonlight glints
On the silent vales
Dressed crisply
In winters cloak
Lying like rippled silk
On the frozen land
The wind whistles
The frozen rain bites
And the chill runs deep
And we must escape
To shelter safe inside
Where the Barn Owls sleep
The savage natural scene
In the winter meadow
Where the Falcon feeds
His talons red in the snow
