Winter Weeks

To the sound of the crackling fire,
With its warmth upon my cheeks,
I find solace with my loved-ones
In these, the winter weeks.

We sit and read in silence,
Or sift a story’s influence,
While around us hums a presence
Of grace and peace continuous.

Outside the world may howl,
The rain come drizzling down,
But inside it’s warm and safe,
With the love that holds me sound.

***

Cardinal Rule

Bright father cardinal 
Says to his wife,
‘Shall we stay this season through
In the frozen winter blight?’

‘I rather think I’d like to,’
Mother cardinal returns,
‘For I’d hate to start all over,
making our nest of ferns.

‘This one’s so delightful.
This one’s just divine.’
So they stayed on through the winter
On the bough of a lofty pine.

Cuddled close together
Twittering in the cold,
They made it past the frosty months
‘Til the land glittered with gold.

*For more poetry, check out my book, Gold in the Gray, available on Amazon. https://amzn.to/2L9gHLa