Lost Warmth

the cold air lays on the ground waiting

to be trampled upon by adventurous

souls who are not bothered by the frigid

temperatures...  trees bend with all the

the weight of their iced clothes, reaching

a breaking point that few will notice...

animals shelter inside or in caves or in

tennels cut into the ground weeks ago,

anticipating the change from instincts

engrained into them at birth...  necessary

if they are to survive more than a season;

blue skies with streaks of white clouds

lay in the sky as if watching something

unfolding on the ground, waiting for the

warm currents to move them along, not

realizing no one's paying attention...  a 

few birds fly from one tree to another

just to see if they can, not caring if they

can return or not, as long as there is still

a few trees in sight...  the sun glistens

and smiles at its own reflection, not too

early or too late to ruin the day, and just

long enough to remember its lost warmth.

14 March 2023