Deep within a winter wood
A dreaming spirit
Rests
Suspended between worlds
In a cozy den
The trees stand bereft
Of all but the snowy owl
Singing his mournful hoot
Over the banks of white
Dampening his volume
To a ghostly question
The land rests
Readying herself for spring
With a long dormant season
Reviving her roots
And nurturing the soil
Hunger stretches long
In this wilderness of winter
As we nourish the spirit
And shrug ourselves out
Of the last heat to linger
We are reborn
In frost
And multi-faceted snowflakes
Banking our fires
To burn brighter
Once the daylight
Has returned ~ Caroline A. Slee