Dear Winter

Send arctic air. Shake off the last
lingering leaves and blow them south.
Frost my yard, my windshield. Freeze
our car doors shut. Dazzle icy roads
with reflective streetlights.
Snowflake your cold design over
my drab, ordinary day. I'm trying
hard not to cuss the cold, slip
into darkness, disappear under
layers of duck down and depression.
So, light up evergreens in white, red,
and yellow fairy lights. Drag out
the fur-lined boots. Resurrect sweaters
buried in cedar. Let us celebrate His birth,
gift us with togetherness, snow days.
Yule log our foundation, hearthstone,
cozy fireplace, hot cocoa and marshmallows.
Blanket the New Year in fresh, new beginnings.
Push the bears into hibernation, freeze
the wood frogs into the ground. Pile nuts
into squirrel dens. Kill the mosquitos.
Halo the Snow Moon in soft white. Deepen
the silence into the long nights. Dim
the wood fires. March out like a lion.