The world shimmers with that golden glow peculiar to moon
shining on white snow.
It's cold. And late. The Paul Bunyan trail stretches silently
before me in the darkness.
Snow drooped trees line the path. A moonbeam illumines the track of a
single snowmobile,
creating a yellow Oz-like road. The distinct smell of an engine lingers in
the emptiness.
In the distance, I hear the whine of a retreating sled.
I'm glad for the stillness. It seems a fitting setting for these final
days of the year,
after the hubbub of the Christmas season. The cottony layer muffles every
sound except
the crunch of my boots in the new fallen wetness. I slap red-mittened
hands together
and tuck the matching muffler closer around my neck. My breath lingers in
the puffy
vapor before my mouth. I feel my eyelashes thicken and freeze.
Cold, snow and silence.
It's funny. The pines candle in the green of springtime as it were
Christmas, but now that
the season is here, they struggle under their snowy burden as if bearing the
cares of the world.
Their branches bow almost to the ground. I can relate. The world has
had more than its
share of bad news lately. As the year grinds to an end, I contemplate war
and suffering,
think of those who experience sickness and loss, and consider my life's
direction.
A sudden crash of sliding snow interrupts my thoughts. A gust of wind
causes a miniature
avalanche. Wet snow slips to the ground with thudding staccato. The
elegant pines spring
back into place with green branches lifted high towards the heavens.
Almost like a prayer.
A radio tower flashes red in the distance and above me the Milky Way spreads a
glittering feast.
A chugging snowplow heads south on Highway 371.
I turn and follow the ribbon of moonlight back to my house. Comforted.
© Candace Simar
Used with written permission.
Please honor author's copyright by seeking permission first before
using this writing in any way. To reach author, click on her name above.
Midi playing ~ "My Guiding Light"
Source ~ Music by Matthew Drollinger
Permission to use
Main image from graphics group
© 2008, Adelle North, All Rights Reserved
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