Is It Truly Winter?
I.
Is it truly winter?
Yes, those are snowflakes I see.
I see them dance and flutter
Through the air around me.
They make a white blanket,
Draped softly over the ground.
All life’s busy noises get
Muffled and softer in sound.
Evergreens are robed in white,
The green so rich and vivid
When all else is white in sight,
A beautiful sign of life amid
The other bare trees.
And though the days grow short,
Moon on snow makes it easy to see
Winter‘s signs of every sort.

II.
Has another year passed?
Spring has long faded,
Its flowers not made to last,
Its bright rainbow of colors traded
For summer’s uniform green.
The summertime heat is gone,
Moved on to another scene,
And the long days are withdrawn.
Fall’s leaves still linger,
Scattered all over the ground.
They no longer sport the color
Of harvest, but are a muddy brown.
Now it is winter, a year’s
Cycle of seasons almost done.
The end of the year is here –
Here’s wishing for another good one.

© Autumn Lee 2014

Year’s End
Summer heat fades and a chill invades
XXXXXAs steadily the year creeps towards its end.
No more long light, but more of dark night.
XXXXXGreen leaves and dead leaves blend.
Clouds the sky hide and cold, heavy rains provide
XXXXXWhile everyone hurries to warm home.
Birds’ songs are few as they begin to
XXXXXTravel south, where every year they roam.
Leaves slowly drop, so from trunk to top
XXXXXTrees are skeletons, so bare.
Soon snow will fall, soon white will be all,
XXXXXSounds soft and muffled everywhere.
Gone is the energy of spring – instead, this time brings
XXXXXQuiet, calm, and time to think
About another year, gone, the end so near.
XXXXXAll time rushes by in a blink.
And so the year dies, and I breathe wistful sighs,
XXXXXReflecting as dead night turns to new day.
Though one year is gone, coming with the dawn
XXXXXIs the new year’s beautiful display.

© Autumn Lee 2013