The Earth Sleeps

 

One layer of snow is impacted by another

As one flurry folllows to enhance a pristine scene

The night is as black as ink and so very still

A fox tip toes about a line of waste bins in search of scraps

Only the occasional street light reflects a snowy landscape

Beneath each snowflake a somniferous earth lies hidden

The heart of winter has reached its deathly zenith

Bread crumbs wait on a bird table with fresh water in the morning

We live side by side with the natural world

Hibernating in burrows and beside fire places

Venturing out only for essential sustenance

It is better we sleep and rest for Spring has already sent her herald

Snowdrops have gathered together in anticipation

Daffodils yearn to be seen and wrestle from their subterranean bulbs

For now we are commanded to patience and silence

as an expectant audience sits as the orchestra

tunes its instruments