Though the weather outside

is not wintery this season,

my soul has been in hibernation mode.

It is as if I am blanketed by a soft new snow.

I have become surprisingly quiet.

Hidden under its covering.

Having seasoned many winters by now,

I know that there is something germinating within.

I have been directed by the Mystery of it all

to be still.

It is the kind of stillness one sees

in the eyes of a startled deer in the dark

but without the panic.

I am quiet, but not afraid 

for I know that a quieting pause is a good thing -

it creates fertile ground for the soul.

It provides a chance to listen deeply

to what lies beneath.

So, though there is no winter happening outside,

there is wintering in my heart this year.

The chill of all the grief I have been hauling around

has settled into my bones

producing an ache which calls for attention.

So as I await the spring thaw

that I trust in completely,

all I can do is hold these losses tenderly 

warming them up with love and acceptance.

I get quiet so I can hear them speak.

They have so much to say.

Its their wisdom which will fertilize the new growth

which is surely on the way.

Copyright © 2023 Cynthia Cady Stanton
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