it’s cold outside in

cruel november

neath the auburn tinted sky at

daybreak and

bronzed clouds hang heavily

against the backdrop

–

skeletal remains of once

lush landscapes

lie barren in silent

stoic autumn

sleep

–

piercing winds return

in force from

bleak lakefronts

cross wild

country roads

–

uncertain vapors

descend in rain or

sleet

sweeping through in

torrential bursts

–

winter comes

unmercifully

with no remorse