Last year, the weather changed on Boxing Day,
A warning that the bright New Year might bring
A hard January. Cold enough to flay
Skin from bones. Winter’s teeth and winter’s sting,
Turned rain to bitter sleet. Then flakes of snow
Coloured the world pristine in shades of white
And silver. Lakes froze, their waters below
Zero for days. Days indistinct from night.
One night, my cat brought in a frozen wren,
Feathers still fluffed against the cruel cold.
I touched its body with regret and then,
I turned away, because if truth were told
I love the days when the whole world is still
Beneath the clarity of winter’s chill.