Woods

I am ten
Shivering
In the woods
Watching snow
Flakes soft wet fall
Melt on the soggy mud
Listening to the sounds of
Winter woods creaking in the
Wind boughs moving like tree arms
To and fro an occasional bird cry
Cackles but hard to see in the
Dim light of a cloudy day in
The woods mostly gray or
Black brown or greens
A lone squirrel high
Up and I imagine
His squirrel hole
Warm with fur
Nuts piled up
Safe secure
Hidden his
Refuge in
Winter.
I turn
And trudge
Homeward to
A furnace heater
Grate too hot to touch
Hot chocolate my sisters
And brother parents all
Around me safe and
Secure and even a
Bowl of walnuts
And pecans
Nutcracker
Picks all
Home,
Not too
Far from the
Cold wet woods
Knowing soon the
Woods will be white
On black tree trunks
Falling from a gray sky.