Winter Begins

by Sjana Williams
copyright © 1997

Gray skies loom silently above
Black smoke billows from a pot-bellied stove.
Off in the distance, a train whistle blows
As the chill in the air slowly grows.
A single snowflake lingers in a stall
Then slowly twisting, to earth it falls.
A few rays of sun in the west, so rare.
Branches reaching out cold and bare.
Breath in the air, puffs of steam
As Winter invites itself onto the scene.