Icy Grip

I was hearing all about snow and cold in other places and was beginning to feel some hope.  We’ve avoided much of what others are getting.  Today winter has shown it’s not yet ready to circle down the drain.  Old Man Winter doesn’t ask…he just pulls up a chair, sets the table and sits down when it suits him.  He’s walked these steps before.  Did we really think we’d broken out of his icy prison?  He mocks by sprinkling confectioner’s sugar on everything.  He prepares a cold barbecue nobody wantsand wipes his frosty feet on our welcome mat.  He climbs the steps of our deck to view his handiwork.  No one will eat his frosty treats.  He mischievously powders the evergreens in fact I half expect one of these pinecones to be tossed at the back of my head as I slowly walk back to a far warmer in doors.  The skeletal trees endure another shameful powdering.  My last glimpse is of blue sky peaking out of wintery skies…there’s hope of warmer days out there.