Winter

I open the blinds and see

rain, fog and the white blanketed earth.

The ground is like a weightless blanket.

Winter suffocates me with its jaws

taking chunks out of me with its teeth;

smashing my mood into shards of melancholy.

The streets are desolate except for a few strays

shuffling along among the sludge.

An old man staggers while leaning on his cane;  

a look of profound despondency deeply etched upon his face.

Winter is ravaging my inner being

and turning my skin inward

towards the deficient light.

Lips so cracked, skin so raw whilst

the cold has seeped into my soul.

The naked trees do a dance of their own,

cheering and cavorting among themselves.

The sky paints a grey nothingness of gloom

looming down on the earth.

A woman pushing a stroller

is slipping and sliding

on the frozen earth

with tears of frustration running down her face.

Why does it all have to be so difficult

to march along to the tune of winter?

An insignificant ray of sunshine greets me,

sparking a ray of hope

deep into the blackness of my soul.

A fracture of light warms the frigid air.

Ever so miniscule, ever so worthless.

The sun has gone and in its place

I see the shadow of winter has yet returned

to torture me relentlessly;

destroying my optimism

of seeing the sun once again.

I close the blinds.