WINTER HOLDS THE LIFE

Dark pines stand sternly tall,

Grandfathering the forever possible.

Bless the snow that comforts them,

Bless the earth and rocks that root them

And the kind winds that freshen them.

In darkness pines perform
An everlasting task of love,
Sustaining quiet rhythms of our earth

Till majesty and frolic shake again

Our frozen souls to fresh beholding

And our laughter to its spring.

              Ted Black, 2/1/2014