A Rugged Serenity

The crackle of sleet stings against the bedroom window.

Early I wake.

I find my way through a darkened house.

Quietly peering through a window to

understand the night.

Clinging to the screen was a perfect icy line.

Traveling north to south.

Indiscriminately skipping the odd fine metal square

on its gravitational journey.

Glistening.

The hushed sounds of a storm.

Snow piled in the many inches long before dawn.

Glimpses of a deep bluish black night

through the filter of snow.

A murky beacon just down the drive.

A barn light struggled to illuminate the night.

I wondered about the natural inhabitants.

Sheltered deep within the woods, I hoped.

The forest floor now coated.

Large pine trees bend in acknowledgement.

Branches heavy, moisture laden.

An hour for sleeping.

I returned to the warm familiar comfort so

readily taken for granted.

Lulled back I was to an easy slumber.

A pick-up truck grinded up the drive. The slam of the plow, muffled.

Gravel churned up.

Soiling what was momentarily pristine.

Dormant gardens dusted in white.

Hilltops, blurred.

A rugged serenity outside my kitchen window.

The coffee brewed strong.