Winter Radiance

 

Winter Radiance

The sun, a wanly golden disk
in the vast blue of an icy winter 
day yet glimmers and scintillates 
through pine and hemlock boughs, 
its winter radiance hinting of warmth 
it cannot provide to the woodland 
creatures seeking shelter wherever 
they may in the reality of wicked 
wind gusts stretching wretched fingers 
of ice into vulnerable huddling
birds and mammals witnessing
ephemeral hazes of wind-whipped
snow from among high perches
entering the very crevices
of infinitely minuscule spaces
between shuddering feather and fur.