The Clock Reads

11:08pm on Christmas Eve The wind howls And tears over the snow covered landscape Buffeting the brown stalks Of dried weeds Whose heads reach up Out of the snow A last gasp for air In a failed attempt To live Trees stand Dark figures in the night To obstruct the winds path A half moon shines Through faint wisps Of silvery clouds To add light To the nights darkness The orange glow Of a single streetlight Contends With the silver moonlight No living creatures to be seen The wind picks up force As the clock now reads 11:14pm