Winter
Alice Wyke
Winter crept silently through the bleak forgotten wood,
Turning the once rusty leaves cold and white, as snow came tiptoeing down,
Air icy and cold, Winter left the desolate jungle and set off to find another place that could be his victim.
Finally, Winter set his polar hands on a small abandoned street,
Misting up the windows and scattering finger numbing breezes across the narrow pathways,
Feeling that his work was done, Winter set off to another place, fingers outstretched, ready to enclose yet more places in his frosty grasp,
Discovering a suitable place, Winter set to work on a deserted village dusting the red bricked houses with an crisp, icy sprinkle as icicles started to form, clinging onto the window ledges, like rows of sharp jagged teeth,
Slowly, Winter edged away drifting with his cold carpet constantly searching for another spot to spread his bitter magic,
Reaching out, Winter’s glacial senses allowed him to seek out a small park, hidden beneath a crowd of trees lined up along the margin of a grassy verge,
Constantly scattering, Winter made the velvety grass a pale, chalky white and, with his piercing breath, blew the scarlet, amber leaves off the trees gnarled bony skeletons, exposing the inner beauty of the ring of trees to anyone who set their eyes on it,
Floating away on the cool breeze, Winter set off to unearth his last target before his fun was over – he could feel Spring closing in already,
Gliding rapidly, Winter flew past frozen moors sprinkling his wintry magic across barren lands and rolling hills, forever scattering his icy glory until he stopped…
Spring was here, pushing him aside and spreading warmth across the lands, bringing heat wherever she went,
Flowers bloomed all colours of the rainbow, grass thrived and bottle green leaves sprouted on trees, like snaking verdant petticoats,
Winter sighed, Spring had come and with her a new season,
Settling down, Winter prepared for his nine months of long slumber,
So goodnight Winter and all of your chilly magic, Spring has come to spread some of her glory.