More shadows than trees
Criss cross the road dodging sun;
The snow is solid.

Frozen milkweed pods
Still offer their silken gifts
Brittle in the field.

Birds fight in the sky;
Their distress cuts through the freeze;
But they are unseen.

Forest full of creaks:
Frozen trees bend to the wind;
A woodpecker trills.

Three dry leaves hang on
The wind tugs and pulls at them
But they won't let go.

The crumbling stone wall
Ends at the base of the a tree;
Which one supports which?

The two trees branch out
Each one bending its own way,
But joined at the base.

The stream is frozen;
Even its sound is muted;
Blank, white impassive.