The Snows I Seek a Desperate Land

The Snows I Seek a Desperate Land

-J.H. Byrd-

The snow drifts blanket thick

a desperate land

as the cold clutches villainously

to my bare hands.

Deep within the heart,
I trudge on
mutely held in awe
of the peace I have found within.
Sleeping trees whose 
stripped limbs 
stretch out in their silent agony
I, the procession
I, the stranger
yet I am marked by the flourishing feeling
of this desperate land.

Each breath chances to fleet;
drowning in the ashes,
I could choke if I breathe too deep
In the snow I leave no marks
of these
deformed claws,
serving purpose
of my own forged manacles.

Eternal winter torments on
more harshly than before.
Frozen limbs press to break
under the weight 
of one last sacred flake. 

Yet onward I trudge
in the calm serenity of the night.
My lips too strain to break
this fragile silence.

And these desperate lands
are home to a stranger
for the night.

Reviews

[barleygirl]

I love this poem. Your descriptions are intense & powerful. I love the metaphor that "cold" could be anything that weighs one down or stifles one's spirit. Sometimes life can be so cold & hostile & contrary, it might feel like we're trudging thru some deep hostile winter. In fact, many feel this is how it's been since covid changed so many lives. But right now I'm in the middle of California wildfires, with one licking at my feet, so I'm reading this "cold" as also being "fire" as it stifles life around here (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[John the Baptist]

Although harsh elements are described, this poem may be more about an inner journey. The speaker apparently has some insight, for he speaks of "my own forged manacles." He apparently has not given up. Best of luck to him.

[JHByrd]

Thank you for the comment! And yes, this poem does reflect more about an inner journey.