angels of the solstice
gather on exalted cloudways
and descend as heliotrope whirlwinds
bejewelling leafless trees
with melting ice and dew
adorning in silence

they beckon verdant spring
when shimmering moonlight
will cease to glister on diamond snow
and winter's periwinkle gowns
shall withdraw into violet pillows
and then into silver streams of resignation

the tissue-paper sky is a luminous dome
veined with gold and pearl anticipation
the meadows are covered with gossamer blankets
that drink the sound of the ruby-red cardinal
like a sacrificial drop of blood on the velvet-white altar
offered for the birth of the first tender blooms