Winter's Silence

Night inched its way Up the north-east side Of my house Much in the way A little child Would climb over a fence One small hand at a time And as night's shadow Reached the very top It stopped for a moment Before tumbling over And falling down The south-west wall Plunging the house into darkness It was a familiar winter night But what I remember most Was how much colder it seemed Then other winters before Nonetheless Warm or cold It was winter Complete in every way With winds like icy fingers And falling snow That seemed to go on and on Forever It was on a night like this That I thought of you A night When I was overwhelmed By everything that winter was Compounded by a darker darkness Than any nights I could remember That had come before And try as I might I could not summon the sun Or make it rise more swiftly To free my mind From unwanted thoughts Nor could I find any solace In the quiet, quiet Of winter’s silence