-- Winter Will Know --

John Herlihy

Spring rains, freshness, rebirth, clarity of light,

Summer heat, sweet fragrance, the star-lit night.

Autumn trees in flames, crisp air, twilight glow,

Winter’s colorless sky, naked trees, sooty snow.

Doesn’t winter ever get fed up and tired of itself,

Falling snow as enchanting as antics of a fairy elf.

The message of winter carries the mystery of death,

Made manifest even in the cold whiteness of breath.

When we die and lay in the grave, where do we go,

Just deep into the ground, nothing left of us to know.

We tell ourselves we will be reunited with loved ones,

This tale many times told, from some fantasy spun.

We tell stories to our mind about where we may go,

Still, the mystery remains, no doubt winter will know.

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(c) John Herlihy 4 January 2022