i was walking through the frozen park
a day or two ago
when a saw a flash of memories
i never got to make

a family of five
was playing in the snow
a daughter with two brothers
opened mouths catching snowflakes

they started throwing snowballs
their laughter rang for miles
noses red and icy breath
not a single care or fear

i stopped to watch them play
couldn't help but crack a smile
i imagined we were they
and wiped away a single tear

soon they headed home
for some hot cocoa and tea
and i was left feeling the cold
slowly numb my hands and feet

i thought for a moment
of my family of three
and mourned the loss of two
that i never got to meet

i often think of you
the adventures never had
branches never climbed
birthday candles never blown

i hear your throaty laughs
exact copies of dad's
i get a melancholy feeling
climbing these trees all on my own

i think of that family
and wonder if they cried
for the loss of two strangers
who never took a breath

i wonder if i could have been
your sister, hero, guide
but what protector would i be
if i couldn't save you from death?

- p. winter