Woody web of branches,
Stark in winter bareness,
Allows the last rays
of winter sun to penetrate
the forest canopy.
Crimson and purple,
Golden light washed along the horizon;
Colors reflecting on gathering clouds.
Every twig, branch and bud frozen,
Ground frozen and gilded with snow,
Reflecting sunset”s last fading light.
Long January night creeps across the sky
As temperature plummets-
Cold reflecting cold,
Life hardening as ice encrusts the world yet again;
a web of crystals turning water to rock,
soil to cement,
Breath to frost.
Woody web of branches,
Twig and bud in silhouette on painted sky,
Stark in Winter bareness,
Reaching up, ready to greet the snow.
Words and photos by Woodland Gnome 2014
Forest Garden 
Lovely poem! Beautiful sunset, everything is frozen really hard this morning! It is 4 degrees and I know the wind chill is negative something, the wind is blowing really hard. The creek had ice all over this morning.
I know you are cold too, so be careful if you get out! Have a great weekend ! 🙂
Thanks, Michael. Am sorry to hear you have such extreme cold there, but a selfishly hoping you share some photos of the frozen creek. S trong wind on top of record cold must make it pretty interesting up there. Are your trail cams frozen?
Thanks for the kind words on the poem. My partner called me out to see it, while I was buried behind the computer, of course. When I finally went, I was just touched by its beauty. All photos this morning have been from inside out through the windows photographing birds coming to feed- but I did venture out with a little extra seed for them to eat- where I can easily see and photograph them 😉 Stay warm today- hope the wood shop is well heated! WG
Thank you for sharing this article quite interesting and, hopefully true happiness rays began to warm our hearts and make the heart glad, when we can share it with sincere to each other. Affectionate greetings from Gede Prama 🙂
Thank you, Gede Prama. Happiness rays keep us warm from the heart out on these wintery days. Thank you for taking time on Forest Garden today. Best wishes, WG 😉
Beautiful poem and pictures. I love how you’ve captured the juxtaposition of winter’s fragility and hardness Sarah
Thank you, Sarah 😉