Windbreak Trees

WINDBREAK TREES Unchecked prairie wind cold Engulfs our archipelago Of barns and farms, Small snuggled refuges Swathed in birch, oak and ash, Warm yellows oranges. Still thick, hiding the rafters, Wrapping our immersed walls, Rooftop pennants - silent wafters. Hugging close at quoin and sill, A muffler around each recess Stemming all the greying chill, Slows the wind in its fold, Protects against the virago, Shields like a mother’s arms.