Winter Solitude

for Anne Yun And so it happened again, my friend: I borrowed deep into winter solitude, seeking warmth in depths but there its heavy sleep subdued me. Earth walls collapsed over my hibernation with the weight of snow, isolating me, no communication forthcoming. Words are frozen things in winter. They lose their human warmth, become icicles blocking speech. Even our thoughts become sluggish, and we must endure the wait of winter before emotions asleep are released to their green swiftness. Oh, how I dream of that loud crack of ice breaking which will wake us from Winter Sleep! And then, as green things sprout and flourish around us, our spirits also green with refreshed life, we will rejoice together.