Blue skies that dome a Prairie plane.

Cold air that sparkles in the sun.

Poplars standing stark and bare.

Cattle steaming in a field.

A snowy owl sits white and still,

eyes staring, with unblinking gaze.

Hoar frost, like strings of brilliant gems,

festoons the branches of a tree.

Nostrils tingle with each breath,

which freezes on a frosty beard.

Cold strikes through soles of felt lined boots,

that squeak and crunch the crispy snow.

And if one takes the time to see

the beauty of a winters day.

Your eyes may fill with tears of joy,

to view the vastness of this scene.

 

 

David Garlick, Edmonton, December 1986