A Winter’s Walk

A Winter’s Walk

The world is a little quieter today.
Snow falls softly, without fury or fanfare,
and bare branches stretch their limbs outward
for those who will not return.

Pine boughs bear the weight of winter,
like our hearts - 
heavy with the language of loss

Grief stands stoic beside us on this winter’s walk:
we lean into her strong shoulder and know 
we are not alone.  
Memories speak stories in the space
where voices that once led the charge
have fallen still. 
Still, echoes remain - 
unfettered by time,
undaunted by the changing seasons,
undiminished by wind and weather.
Their resonance fuels our fractured fortitude.

A lone cardinal breaks the stillness;
its red plumage a flame amid winter’s pallor,
its call a promise that the torch has been passed.

There is more narrative to write;
new authors must lift the pen.

So when spring comes, and warmer air brings with it the promise of new memories,
we will balance our weight against each other.
Past echoes may linger, but a song of tomorrow hums softly beneath our steps. 
The next chapter unfolds within us - 
rooted in what we’ve been given,
reaching toward what we have yet to become. 
Our hands have grown and steadied, and we will build the next dream.