3rd Place: Every Year

Kaylin Brown

Winter from an uncultured eye

Is dead and bare

A silent death that creeps 

A wasteland of ice and snow

Or a roaring machine

But from our little homes 

We can see

Earth smothered so gracefully

And snow falling silently

As if God had covered her in a warm white blanket

To rest for the season

We hike up this blanket 

Slipping down like a slide

We lace up our razor sharp shoes

Down Earth’s frozen body to glide

We play these games every year

But they never stopped being fun

We feast on the world’s finest delicacies 

Like chocolate and cheese

We seek for the familiar faces

That you have not seen in awhile

But then they return as if never gone

We see these people every year

But they always bring a smile 

Frosty with his hat and Rudolph’s red nose

Tell the stories of holiday cheer 

And Jingle Bells and Christmas carols echo in the cold

We hear these songs every year

But they never get old

Snowflakes dance from the sky in a ballet of wind

With frigid breath and bright pink noses

If you look into the ocean of white you will find

In the cold air and barren trees

A warm, familiar glow 

For peace of mind