Becoming the Color of Winter

As the world tilts toward darkness 

and seasons of color wane, 

when you feel life ebbing, look for me: 

I am the glint on evergreens 

lit against the clear embrace 

of cold air cleansed on Arctic ice. 

I am the swath of bare terrain 

of ochre earth and umber mud 

softened in a misting rain. 

I’m the stubble field of muted tan 

suffused in amber overtones 

streaked with shades of fading sun. 

And I’m the warmth of dancing light 

above a bed of hissing embers 

and layers of burnt-orange ash. 

Deep in an endless winter night 

on the bitter edge of winter, 

I will be your summer dream 

of sea-green tinged with deep blue hues 

framed by sunbeams slicing through storms 

that rumble along the horizon.