A drab, gray canopy
conceals the sun,
hiding the sunshine,
blocking the warmth,
depressing the day.

A blustery, frigid wind
howls at the windows,
seeps in around the door,
pulls reluctant leaves
from nearly naked trees
and scatters them haphazardly
up and down the street.

On wind-tossed branches
sit bemused birds,
feathers all puffed up,
trying to insulate themselves
from the unaccustomed sting
of the blowing cold.

Overnight a cold front,
through a fiercely fought
war with thunderstorms,
lightning, and tornadoes,
defeated yesterday’s warmth,
dropping the day’s temperature
by over twenty degrees.

Standing at my window,
looking out at the backyard,
it just looks so cold,
so uninviting, so intimidating.
It looks like winter!

The season’s first wintry day
has staked winter’s claim,
promising worse to come,
making me shudder,
gird for the long battle ahead,
and long for spring…