Winter is breathtaking
Whether from the unbearable cold
Or the sheer beauty
You often can't tell

You can see the first snowflakes
Gently falling
Like shooting stars
You can feel the chill
Right where it is pleasant
When you have a small shiver
A small smile appears

Or you can see the floodgates open
With too many snowflakes to count
Like stars in the full night sky
So many that they smother
Or you can feel the stinging
Cold
The cold that takes your breath
You shiver until you are still
Never to smile again