If winter were a dress,
and the fall—its seamstress—
I’d spend the best of autumn trading
gold-leaf cents
and flecks
of penny-rouge
for the slow,
unspooling webs
of star-spun lace
and diamond-thread
that nip my thin,
stripped limbs
and whisper-hiss among
the drowsy forest’s edge:
scriss, scriss, scriss…
there, I’d wonder:
Could the brief, resplendent ending truly love me?
And as the thought unraveled into
earth’s last ardent breaths,
I’d trace the fragile,
fallow veins
of foliage as
ice feathers effloresce—
dazzling ferns
of beaded stitch
and crystal-quartz with such
unhurried,
measured imminence, I—
would shift
and drift upon
the brumal playgrove’s
brittle twigs—
my bare feet on
its thistle-stem,
its frost-bite gems—
like this,
I'd dance
and flit amid
the first fine dusts
of pine and angel-scented snow:
crisp, crunch, crisp..
inhaling not finality,
but the epiphany
I could be
a silhouette of heaven.
And O, I do confess:
I’d forage and collect
dewdrop-jewels among
my timid,
fae-like footsteps just
to decorate
and co-create
my opalescent,
pearl-and-mirror-glint corset—
ever hoping
wishing
dreaming (all) in secret I
was beautiful enough to wear it close
and fitted to
my paling,
prickled skin.
O, dear Winter Solstice—
what I would give to have a filigree of glass reshape
my supple,
velvet hollow—
to taste the kiss
of the Snow Moon’s lust for me
upon my waning harvest’s tongue…
.
and while the autumn ebbs
and dwindles 'twixt the lilt
of fleeing geese
and birdsong’s farewell sonnets—
all fading into embers now,
and sung—
.
I would wear the winter as
my wedding dress (if I)
should still be young—
if I
should still be beautiful enough
to be followed toward
beginning’s sweet perfume of spring.
About the Creator
Gina C.
Poet | Author | Architect of Worlds
Sowing stories rooted in culture, origin, metamorphosis, resilience, language & love via fantasy, myth, magical realism & botanical prose
Writing my novel!🧚🏻♀️🐉✨
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Standing While Falling
Quotation from Friedrich Nietzsche "He who wrestles long with monsters should beware lest he himself become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. Man is not destroyed by suffering, but by the meaning he makes of it."
By LUCCIAN LAYTH4 days ago in Critique
Comments (30)
Breathtaking!!! Congratulations on all the wins!!!
This so elegant and paced just perfectly, like corrordinated snowfall. Absolutely deserving of all the accolades. ⚡️🤩⚡️
Such a pretty poem, Gina; congratulations on your top story and challenge win❣✨
congrats on the win
Wooohooooo congratulations on your win! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
So glad this placed! Congrats!
So thrilled to see this place as Runner Up! Very well deserved indeed!
This is truly beautiful.
This is an incredibly beautiful and artistic poem. Your descriptions of the changing seasons and the "diamond-thread" of winter are stunning. Congratulations on your Top Story!
Wooohooooo congratulations on your Leaderboard placement! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
Spectacular work Gina! Uber-gorgeous! 💕🫶🏾
This... just.. THIS! *sigh* "to taste the kiss of the Snow Moon’s lust for me upon my waning harvest’s tongue…"
Your description of winter and dress is unique and beautiful, thankyou for sharing and congratulations on Top Story xx
Your language is so rich and intricate, each phrase feels like it’s spun from crystal threads. I hope you continue to explore this ethereal seasonal magic in more of your work.
Such a beautiful poem! It really captured the beauty of winter if it were a dress.
This was a woven tapestry of the imaginative aura found in winter's kiss. Wow! What a wonderful piece you've created - and such a unique response to the prompt, too. I particularly loved the lines: "I'd dance and flit amid the first fine dusts of pine and angel-scented snow..." Just amazingly lilting in a beauteous way. Wonderful poem and wonderfully fine writing.
"inhaling not finality, but the epiphany" Gina, Wow. This line rang like a gong. This line was like the full embodiment of trauma healing, realizing there is still oxygen, we can still move forward. I still have goosebumps. You are still young enough, and beautiful enough to wear Winter as the enthralling description you just shared. Truly wonderful.
Back to say congratulations on your Top Story! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
I don't even like winter and this threatens to win me over to the dark side with your sensual words and evocative language. Sublime entry and well done on Top Story too
BRAVO. This is a work of art that makes me think of Wyeth winterscapes
Well-wrought, Gina! The language is as elegant as the dress it describes!
This poem is easily the most sensual exposition of frost and desire I have ever read. It truly is miraculous how you have teased desire, not out of luxurious spring or the hot passion filled days of summer, but from frosty winter, it’s very opposite. Pure magic, Gina. I love your poem and the longing it awakened. Good luck on the challenge even though I doubt you’ll need it. The pic is perfection.
Good work
Absolutely gorgeous work. Well done, my friend. Good luck!
This was incredibly lovely, my friend :) Each word perfectly placed and moving us forward through this winterscape you've painted. Gorgeous!