Winter

Wind blows
Trees bend and break under pressure

 

Cold surrounds all
Air that burns your lungs

 

Howling, whistling
You can’t escape it

 

The outdoors become unbearable
Taking you prisoner, a hostage of the wind

 

People covered by dense layers
Like a wolf’s winter coat

 

Birds abandon their roosts
Heading for their vacation spots

 

Squirrels frantic to gather the last of their supplies
Bears host slumber parties deep in caves

 

People tuck themselves in under blankets
No one wants to endure the cold

 

Days pass by in a blink
Nights seem to last for ages

 

Depression makes itself at home
Will the darkness lift?

 

Where a dense layer of red and yellow foliage once was
Only a few stranglers remain

 

Color disappears
Only white remains

 

But life continues on

Fires burn and smoke wafts out of chimneys

 

Marsh mellows are singed and seared

Ginger bread real estate is put on the market

 

Pine needles adorn the floor
Packages lined up around the trunk

 

Bulbs and colorful globes hang from branches
An angel is perched high above the rest, watching

 

Laughter hits your ears

Tightly packed snow whizzes thought the air

 

Children count down days
When will the reindeer come to our roof top?

 

Anticipation builds
Cookies and milk will soon be left by the fireplace

 

Family assembles
All the puzzle pieces take their places

 

Eggnog and cocoa seem right at home in their mugs
Stockings hang like neck ties at a board meeting

 

All these signs can only mean one thing
Its that time of year

 

Your senses scream it
Winter is here

 

Reviews

[Andrew (not Andy, A.J. ..]

I love it!
"Stockings hang like neck ties at a board meeting" lol.
I really like how you contrasted the stark white and long, dark nights with the joy of christmas(and the eggnog of christmas, which I LOVE).
I'm from So-cal, so I can't really relate to the poem, but this is awsome!
Keep up the good work!

[Tracie Skarbo]

This was great...loved the imagery. The two lines I liked the best were:

Ginger bread real estate is put on the market and :
Stockings hang like neck ties at a board meeting

very origional.
Cheers
Tigra

[Randal Bright]

Very interesting poem. I enjoy how it was rather dour and it transitioned to a nice and sweet yet still kinda bitter timbre. I like the use of free verse and the imagism within this poem, I love vivid imagery, that's my thing. :)