Winter Quietude

Gone, gone, the laughing leaf of auburn fall

Bronze timbrel tucked into white solitude

The crinkled creek, a placid, polished hall

Its melody of merry May subdued

The song-bird choir that heralded the morn

Is mute; its choristers far, far away

And fields, stripped of wild-bloom and rippling corn

Roll soundlessly to skylines dull and gray

Forgotten fronds shiver, bereft of smile

Betrayed, it seems by winter’s gilded guile

On street or field our muffled footsteps fade

Stillness of white blankets hushed countryside

Somewhere bare feet pause in kind, crooning shade

Where heaven’s eyes are blue and open wide

Here, where the zephyr teased bracken and bloom

Now winds wander earth’s stricken emptiness

Searching through nature’s whitewashed living-room

For something more than stiff, stoic witnesses

Beneath the spell of sequin-silver kiss

The world is wrapped in winter quietness

This is the hour of tranquility

Do not despise the door that leads to spring

The barren tree in meek humility

Trusts He who holds and molds each season-thing

Though stalk has rendered its bloom to the sod

Farewell is not its death, hope fills the seed

It slumbers where the faithfulness of God

Does not forget for He beholds each need

While now we wait; our wanting will subdued

In cathedrals of winter quietude

© Janet Martin

Because my mind is racing this morning I decided it would be good to focus on quietude! :) Merry Christmas all, and may your days leading up to His Birthday Celebration be peaceful and bright!