Primordial Winter Sky

The sky is heavy;
the clouds are low:
great heavy clouds
darkening the sky
in deep shades of gray.
Still, silent, slow,
yet comforting,
like cuddling under a warm quilt.

They must have seen them,
from the earliest days;
They must have known then,
winter had come to stay.

Sitting in the soft chair
pushed up to the big window:
watching the sky
hovering so near,
wondering when
it would begin to snow,
wanting the dull landscape
to become crystalline glitter.

They must have gazed out
from blanket-wrapped warmth;
They must have known about
winter’s first storm.

Like a butterfly emerging at dusk,
in the dim afterglow:
slipping from its cocoon
and opening shimmering wings
to reveal the pale sky behind;
the movement creating an undertow
as snowflakes swirl and dance
between earth and sky.

They must have reached high,
up to the heavens afar;
They must have touched the sky
to catch the first falling star.

Lora Frikken ~ 10-26-03