Old man winter’s touch
Transforms the
landscape,
Trees wear a frosting
As if dusted by a
baker
Snow fall blurs the
edges
And disguises
definition
Of familiar landmarks
And frozen streams
appear
Like pure white
ribbons
Casually discarded in
the vale
The snow has come, its falling fast
I dance around my room and cheer
Soon it’ll be time to build a snowman
The same one I make
every year
When the snow is lying deep and fresh
I go to the cupboard in my room
Where I get his gloves, scarf and hat
And of course his Birchwood broom
Mum says “don’t you stay out too long”
But she knows that I don’t listen
She knows that it takes me some time
To build the perfect
Mr Glisten
I start in the same
place on the lawn
Where I make the body
large and round
Then for his head I
roll a smaller ball
Rolling it around on
the snowy ground
Each year it takes me
a little longer
As he rises up from
the fallen snow
And soon he is
standing taller than me
As like me each year
he also grows
Down his front go the
pebble buttons
From his neck down to
the floor
And his stick arms
wear his gloves
Which don’t really fit
him anymore
Then I put on his scarf and hat
His Birch broom stands by his side
Marbles to make his blue eyes shine
And a stick mouth
smiling wide
Finally, the carrot
nose goes in place
And I step back to
admire at the end
Gazing at the happy snowman face
Then I say “Hello my old friend”
My breath plumed in the frost filled air,
As I stood in the hush of a winter night,
Beneath the deep velvet blue of the night sky,
Filled with a myriad of glistening stars
And while I stand beneath its majesty
My futile thoughts are lost in its enormity
and I'm suddenly startled
Not just by the
staggering beauty
But by my own insignificance in its glory.
And as I stand beneath the heavens
I feel alone, hopeless and helpless.
While a bitter chill touches my bones.
I continue to walk on the linen shrouded land
Footsteps treading crisply in the white
And my breath still plumes, though less so
As the velvet curtain of night has gone
Hidden behind a dark blanket of cloud
And then the cold frosty night was no more
As the wind freshened against my cheek
And in that instant fresh snow began to fall
Seemingly silencing my footfalls.
Large soft flakes drifting haphazardly
Like confetti on a
happy wedding day
Or cherry blossom in a perfect spring.
Soon it fell faster, then faster still
Quickly obscuring my footprints
And blinding my view, disorienting me
As a bitter chill again touched my bones
The wind now stung my face with snow
As the blizzard of bridle white blew at me
And I bent into the northerly gale
Head down eyes narrowed, almost closed.
I stopped briefly to catch my breath
And insignificance washed over me again.
I knew I must go north into the mouth of it
The silent hush was no
more as the blizzard blew
And the strengthening
wind whistled.
My feet no longer crunched on frost and ice
And the deepening snow slowed my progress
Each step I had to drag my feet from the snows grip
And with each step I grow wearier
Feeling hopeless and helpless again
Alone, insignificant and small,
Smaller than a single snow flake
Smaller than any of the snowflakes around me
A bitter chill again touched my bones
Then suddenly I am once more filled with hope
As I pass between the old wrought iron gates
And on into the city
street beyond
And with treated pavement
beneath my feet
I left the park behind
me and returned home
Jack Frost, with icy fingers,
Holds winter in his frozen hand
Until his thick winter
cloak
And bathed the landscape
In its bright lunar
light
So that the ice
crystals sparkled
Like diamonds in the
snow
