Snow, trees, silence

Snow falls again on these old familiar hills
bringing with it peaceful quiet
and blanketing whiteness, soft like clouds seen from above in an airplane

Can you hear the sound of snowflakes falling
as you capture them on your stuck-out tongue?

Burning fireplaces, roasting chestnuts,
the warm mustiness of eiderdown
hot mulled cider
and peppermint drops
as in years past, these are the flavors of winter

Tiny footprints of mine in the powdered stuff
disappearing into the woods in shades of dusky grey
only to be covered again by next snowfall

Bears that slumber drowsily in their caves
so like the promises I made this time last year
only to be reawakened with spring's light

My breath puffs frosty in the morning air
cheeks and nose nipped red from the cold
I know the beauty of this place will last all winter
and yet I drink it in as if it will disappear at any moment