winter’s breath by Linda Crate
by Patricia | 1.30.12
I watched the world around me;
winter swallowed me in snow —
the skies were somber and grey.
Only a cardinal pierced the scene
of melancholy waves that washed
their newness upon the earth with
the promise of renewed hope. As
the pains of yesterday were taken
from the land in ivory tears, I was
poured into chalices of reflection.
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Linda Crate is a Pennsylvanian native born in Pittsburgh and raised in the rural town of Conneautville. She has a Bachelors in English-Literature from Edinboro University. Her poetry has appeared in several magazines the latest of which include: Skive, The Scarlet Sound, Speech Therapy, Itasca Illinois & Willowtree Dreams, Dead Snakes, Carnage Conservatory, and The Camel Saloon.
February 25th, 2012 at 9:08 pm
I find the image of the cardinal provocative. Because of their bright coloration, when they appear, the rest of the scene seems to organize itself around them.
I grew up in Virginia which hosts both cardinals and bluejays. I have many memories of seeing their dashes of color against this background or that.