Cold, biting
stinging your skin all over,
freezing, numb everywhere
but beautiful in every sense.
A single snowflake falls
the serenity, the calm, the wonder....
but just a few more
can turn unpredictable,
blizzards whip up
a spell for trouble.
Drifts so high
hedges are buried,
a world of white
seen by no one but you,
completely unblemished
no footprints, no marks
just white,
pure white
snow.
Sheep become invisible,
roads cut off,
accidents, emergencies in every place
but think of the stillness
outside it all.
Patterns on branches
a delicate lining,
tendrils of ice
painted perfectly.
On top of a hill
turn round, the sight
the scene, the amazement
white, so white.
Every field once patchworks of green
now blankets, silver carpets
as far as the eye can see
what world are we in?
Magic, the mystery,
breath-takingly so,
it takes a moment to sink in
breathe the beauty...
Icicles hang
upon every surface
the crystallisation
an unbelievable art,
there is no need for pictures
photos, paintings, they are just things...
my memory will never forget this
so long as I live
the day I sat
upon this point,
upon this rock,
upon this hill,
upon this field,
upon this day,
looking, just looking
smiling inside
watching the sun set
shining across
the soft snow,
and it wasn't that so much
the sight I saw with my eyes
but the peace I felt in my heart
which took me by surprise.