Reds and yellows fade into brown
The last leaves hanging dead on the trees
The short days getting shorter
Soon the gray woods will fill with snow.
The sun low on the horizon at noon
A few hours of light before the long night
The season of fire and ice closes in on us
As we chop wood and seal windows.
If you can stay warm bundled in extra layers
If you have a warm shelter and hot food
If you can relax your shoulders tight against the cold
The season has its pleasures.
I love ice skating on the pond.
I love the feast days with friends and family.
I love the solstice lights sparkling with promise.
I love the communal voices singing together.
We are northern people.
The night theater lights come up as the sun descends.
Bears and the hunter in the sky canopy
And cold bones to remember the ancestors.
