Winter Is Calling

A poem about settling into a season that offers rest

Winter Is Calling  
 
Just like that
the holidays came and went,
the meals and treats consumed,
relationships made stronger
or weaker.
 
The trail of ribbons and wrapping,
lights and décor return
to bins and basements, leaving
spaces and spirits 
bare.
 
We follow our calendars into a new year
and dare to dream of what’s to come,
or maybe we sit, hesitant,
afraid to look too far 
ahead.
 
Life seems to push us 
to the next good, hard, necessary,
unknown thing, and what choice 
do we have but to lift our feet 
to meet its pace?
 
But what if we pause to notice 
what exists beyond our calendars and walls?
 
What if we let the trees teach us
how to stand tall and resilient.
 
What if we let the sky show us
how to be brilliant with all we hold.
 
What if we let the sun guide us
toward rhythms of rise and rest.
 
What if we honor our need 
for dormancy, stillness—
a season of unseen growth—
trusting that our worthiness
will remain.