Evergreen Winter
How sad the pining evergreen
When all others’ color is gone –
Unable to shed its needle
Sharp leaves and join the bare-poled throng.
Apart it stands, aloof and cold
Amid the powdered flakes of snow –
So valiant against the ice
Yet so desirous to let go.
It must forget sweet tastes of Spring
The time when others live again –
Memories of the sun’s warming kiss
Do not melt the consuming pain.
A frosty wind sighs melodies
And whispers melancholy art –
But despite his hardest efforts
Cannot affect the golden heart.
September 12, 2001