For miles the white path leads
Silent, still, crisp air

Only a slight crunch beneath feet
Too cold to be damp

Come! We will walk
And feel the stillness of snow

We fly,
Like birds,
Like butterflies,
Like angels.

And, what of time?
Drug along as it is
Around a spinning earth;

We fly,
Through space,
Though time,
Through lives.

Yes, what of time?
Bound by laws & perspectives
We fly in relativity.

Her lips blanched then filled with red
As she released her teeth's edge.

The surreal sense of scent
Filled her nostrils then quickly went;

But it took her to another place
Of lovely florals, a greening space.

Had the rose been left for that very reason?
That here, in the greyish heart of winter's season

She might be transformed to have a rebel's heart
That simply would not believe spring could part?

Yet, autumn had faded into shorter darker days,
As winter closed its icy grip, this gift appeared from far away.

Frozen blackness changed with the scent of a sweet rose,
As the surreal sense of scent had filled her nose

And made her write in such pretty proses.

I came to believe thoughts that you poured into my head
Grain upon grain like so much falling sand.

You tied a cord around me then pulled me to your bed.
Yet, I thought that I could fly as long as you held tight
The string that you had tied around my hands.

I fluttered just above the ground
Never truly understanding that I was bound.

Each time that I sought out some new height
You would tug hard upon the string;
Each time I gained some altitude you screamed.

And I would be awakened from my freedom dream.
I must not fly too high was the lesson taught me.

But, you eventually tired of holding to the string;
That string which continually you held so tautly.
And so you took a stake, I heard the sound

As you began to pound and pound.
I failed to get the concept.  

This time, when I left my perch
As I leapt skyward, I felt a ****
Then tumbled to the ground.

I had thought that I had 'freedom'
While flying just above your head.

Yes, I was wrong, so very wrong.
When I looked down you were gone.
But, you would not set me free,

Yet, the tether had remained
And you came back to feed me grain by grain.

I begged, "Let me spread my wings." "Free me!  "Free me!"
You could not trust nor cherish, jealousy had made you deranged.
If only you had let me fly, forever at your side I 'd have remained.

We can often be such foolish creatures
Never listening to common sense preachers;

But then we all but learn too soon
We’ve just been howling at the moon.

O, the message of love, at last, achieves full bloom;
That heart we once had feels full weight the doom.

And all along we find we've had the hidden room,
That place to learn to love from the unknown teachers.

We find ourselves to have been such a foolish creature
And finally, listen to the common sense preachers.

For we knew the tune, but only dared to hum along.
But, now, having been shown, we let it out in full-throated song.

Winter brings sights that warm the heart,

As we observe with wit and patience,
Among its seasonal growing population
It is as if winter brings forth an entire nation
Of many species and their relations.

Take for example our feathered friends
Who busy themselves amidst their clans.
Bright feeders that are placed about extend
Needed food and give the birds a helping hand.

But, by their work, they retain their dignity;
As they go about their important activities.
Yes, among our lovely birds we see
Their busy lives, filled with such industry.

And, by these things we see their poetry.

In the little house at number 23
On the street lined with willow trees
A garden wall surrounds and shields me.

But I do have my welcomed guests.
Welcomed dear and lovely bees;
Who I never consider an invasive pest.

O, I truly do love them the very best!
As I observe their every move, you see;
I love them for their beauty, and for their industry.