A slate of glass is a barrier to winter,
Holding back the harsh cold of breath
That December blows.
The brown sullen branches lean,
Burdened with the weight of delicate snowfall,
And the clouds blend with the solemn sky
In a mess of grey and white.
Songs sung in high, shrill voices cease
As the jays and the robins retreat to keep warmth
And hide out the long nights and icy days.
Darkened orange and blue moons pass,
Hidden sometimes by layers of cloud,
Heavy with forming flakes,
And lead to the melting of white on the icy-top earth.
Soon the grass sprouts up
And flower stems peek their heads above ground
To take in the light
And dwell in the songs of morning doves.
The air is heated by rising suns
And the bodies of children out playing.
The food is cooked out on an open stove,
With hands shaking hands, and laughter
Mixed with the calls of mating birds.
Now the purple and navy blue of sunsets
Fades into a fiery inferno,
A layer, like watercolor,
Blazing on the horizon.
The splash of water on bodies,
Bodies long hidden under thick woolen scarves and cotton hats,
Sends the spring away to meet with winter
And brings a new warmth.
Shouts and screams take the place of echoing animal cries,
The buildings empty and the streets filled with shuffling crowds,
While the sky is veiled in a shade to match the ocean,
Which waves onto the sand, moving back towels and picnic blankets.
Days grow longer, and the nights grow brighter,
The sky illuminated with the lights from cities, never sleeping.
When the beaches empty and the streets are cleared of bustling throngs,
Eyes look up into the treetops, waiting,
Watching for a splash of color to decorate the earth.
The leaves are losing their green,
Taking on a new shade,
A beautiful design,
A smothered palette of paint,
Dripping down and dragging the leaves with them.
The shouts and cries of excited children die away,
And the air grows cooler with the heat of freedom fading.
Soon the ground, coated in crunching brown,
A miracle drained of its color,
Feels the weight of a new snowfall.
Another season begins.
Another season begins.