Newborn Winter | Teen Ink

Newborn Winter

June 26, 2012
By k.elaine GOLD, Middlebury, Indiana
k.elaine GOLD, Middlebury, Indiana
19 articles 6 photos 0 comments

Ivy veins from my toes to my lips
Tangling and twining at my hips
My hair is weeping willow leaves
Red rose buds, my heart’s own thieves
I stole the glimmer from the sun
Against the golden goddess have I won
The moon bestowed its gem on me
To triumph darkness and reflect on the sea
My fingers are vines, long and nimble
My voice is lightning’s shrieking symbol
The birds have taught me how to fly
And I’ve made friends with the butterflies
There’s a lily that sits atop my head
Dreams and hope all it’s ever shed
My stained glass eyes as green as trees
It is how I see my world by these
Bark and branches are my legs of length
Lively and proud, full of strength
My torso a corset of iron stone
A core from earth’s own core I own
My teardrops saltwater, my eyelashes pine needles
I cry like the clouds, for we all are equals
As a single tear splashes on the grass
The dark pains and sorrows pass
A new and brilliant young bumble bee
Sprouts from the soil to breathe and be seen
It flutters its wings much like I
And we both take flight in the now violet sky
My sun has set and my moon is here
My trees are sleeping and their dreams are sheer
I take out the glass hummingbird that holds back my hair
And let it fly away, enjoying the cool, crisp evening air
I cover my body in a blanket of snow
For now the time has come for summer to go
The gown spreads far across the lands
And only halts with the glide of my hand
My hand now of ice and my fingernails snowflakes
Warmth, what winter creeps smoothly and takes
But only young warmth, nothing more
For we still have the dreams we’ve been dreaming for
I rest my head on my bleach white pillow
And close my pine lashes, my hair still of willow
The ice might be crazy and the snow may be wild
But what would you expect from a newborn child?
Winter is young now, but we have not long
Before it has sprouted maturity and is old and gone
No worries though, no dread, no fear
For we only have until next year
When a new winter is born
On a cold summer morn
When the leaves are shivering and the flowers are shaking
We’ll know that a small, chilly miracle is in the making
The bears will sleep, the birds will flee
Leaving a newborn winter to the earth, me.


The author's comments:
I am aware that winter does not directly follow summer, but I chose to compare the two because they seem to have the most drastic differences. We experience change often in our lives and, much unlike the seasons, these changes don't ease into each other like melting ice cream. They are fast and often startling, just like a summer day instantly morphing into winter. There will always be change just like there will always be winter, but you can't hide from it. Embrace it. I thought it was a relatable concept and hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading:)

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