A Winter’s View

By Naomi Ambrose, Staff Writer

 

Falling from the sky above,

white like the blank pages on my lap

the snowflakes emerge with the strength of a dove,

flying quietly and mightily—with no time for a nap.

 

Beneath the fury of the army of flurries,

the river is quiet and steady

as if it knows the secrets of the snow’s countless stories,

of travellers who dream of the day they’ll be ready.

 

The wise traveller who walks in the snow,

knows that it is best to walk with a smile

for the snow fills itself with a glow,

into the hearts of the happy traveller who travels further than a mile.

 

No better way for the regular commuter,

to love the beauty of the icy sheets

that fill up the river like a powerful computer,

in a winter world of wet, snowy streets.

 

Inside the frosty river, some trees stand tall and empty,

with nothing but bare branches.

How wonderful, then, for the snowflake assembly,

to light up the trees like a sheriff’s collection of shimmering badges.

 

Some pieces of wood float by—like sailing on a boat;

that is destined to land on the nearby shore.

Perhaps it is the boats’ time to stay afloat,

as I have seen many times before.

 

Amazed I was at the small raindrops,

as they wiggle to the beat of the wind

passing along the windows—even when the train suddenly stops;

like it sees Old Man Winter’s cheeky grin.

 

While hiding the trees on the distant small island,

the snow shows the strength of its power

by wrapping itself on the ground of the island;

though not quite as tall as the CN Tower.

 

From the view of my window,

the buildings in the far distance

cannot match the showers of snow,

that hide the sight of the buildings’ rigid existence.

 

It’s a wonderful sight for the traveller to see,

the ten-dozen bright, yellow lights

across the freezing river that’s far away from me,

on a gloomy, chilly morning—dark like winter nights.

 

A few container ships stand still in the river,

as if trapped in a sea of ice;

too frozen to flow with a lot of vigour,

and too cold to see the beauty of an icy winter paradise.

 

Shielding away the rows of green bushes,

the flurries are massive yet light

while adding some colour and fulfilling the wishes

of travellers who long for a winter, marvelous and bright.