poem 30/12/2009

As naked trees reach to the crisp gray sky
and populate the gentle mountainside;

As turkey tracks parade across the path
and follow, companion prints to footsteps;

As unbroken crust of a frozen field
holds the tentative weight of my body;

As starling caws burst from their treetop holds
and undulate through the motionless hills;

As the warmth of lights in lowering dusk
beckons to blankets and wood-panelled walls;

As wisps of cloud reveal the full-faced moon
and faintly kiss and caress its pale light;

As falling shadows meld with wooded trails,
As the swollen creek persistently flows,
As silent secrets hug lone country roads;

I love you --

As blue ridge mountains cling to wintry nights.