Cold Snap

The winsome willow of July
Where once I laid upon the grass
And listened to its tendrils sigh
Is naked now with claws of brass
In mellow August breeze it swayed
Her arches warmed with summer glee
And oft it lured me to its shade
To bask within its melody
But now its branches ache and groan
Stripped of the song it once had known

The chatter of the winding creek
Where yesterday our bare feet splashed
Has silenced; laughter waits beneath
Its sleek and polished marble path
The world is petrified and still
Beneath a crystal-coated shroud
And none can argue with the chill
Gripping each breath in frozen cloud
The only marring of the dark
Are footsteps creaking through the park

Where are the charms of pleasure’s sun?
Where is the flow of summer’s breeze?
They wait somewhere with bridled tongue
Biding their time before they tease
The icy candor from the lips
Stone-blue in winter’s frigid mime
And soon they’ll melt the fingertips
Clutching the earth in frozen time
Ah winter too, comes but to pass
Jack Frost embellishes its glass

Janet Martin

We are in a cold snap...but it is not forever.
Soon we will wander once again, those summer trails...