chill fog

 chill fog writhing to envelope

warmth and golden sun in gray

cooling the marrow of our bones

as though to sap our will

or to command us to be still

and dig more deeply

into the rich mystery and joy

of being alive

mist

misty white-gray fog this morning

super moon during the night

lit up my lawn and groves of pine

like a snow-dusted fairyland

catabatic wind

 as earth rotates and sun ‘sets’

night cools mountain-tops

slopes chill the air above their ice

thin molecules huddle, dense

heavier and heavier until, catabatic

they gain speed and strength

from gravity and plunge down

disturbing precarious layers

of snow, triggering avalanche

wind-whispered promise

 despite the cold

that burrows under the skin

to gnaw at the marrow

in my bones

the wind that lifts

and swirls sparkling flakes

tells me the snow will cling

to the mountains

and, in the spring, melt

as water for crops

a gift longer-term

and worth my shivering

            mjNordgren  12/26/2022  Omaha