We Walk A Long, Dark Road Through Winter

Branches at the grey sky's edge

cast off the last remaining leaves

Stirring from a midnight vision,

Wilting whispers telling me:

The leaves fall off to suit a purpose

You lay here feeling something's lost

But wasted weight when snow starts falling

Really only serves a cost

You think it's bleak, but changing seasons

mean the old is left behind

branches break

under the pressure

when course of time is misaligned

We mourn what could have-- should have been

Knowing loss intimately

But know that winter's just a season

Time to rest, time to weep

To cleanse, to sleep,

and make amends

if nothing else,

then just to breathe.

And though it looks like endless pitch,

It's in the dark we find True North

The sparks inside that can't be quenched

Cold trees not broken, only bent

They stand by your side, rooted deep

Reminding you to just try keeping

one eye on that frozen sky--

watching for a fresh horizon

Faintest hints of violet sneaking

their slow way back through the void

the branches primed for waking growth

life dormant but not destroyed

We walk a long, dark road

through winter

Each one wandering on our own

Though this time might be your winter,

In that, you are not alone.