First
Poetry Prize Winner - Winter 2013-2014
is Charlotte Louise Nystrom
of Greenville, Maine, USA
“Beneath Snow and Ice”
By Charlotte Louise Nystrom
Comfort is swimming in a sea of blankets.
Clinging
to the haven of the soft warm bed,
Toes rebel at the bitter cold stone floor.
Each exhalation lingers in the air.
Beside the idle
fireplace are splintered bits of kindling.
I toss one on the steaming coals
and start to sternly blow.
Sparks ignite. Small, lapping flames begin to grow.
Beyond the frosted pane
of glass, rests a cruel and frigid world.
Beautifully glittering banks are not the mounds of diamonds they appear.
I share the emotions
of the tired trees,
Their branches bend and crack with the weight of glistening ice.
The beauty of the winter landscape
hides a dangerous truth.
An outdoor thermometer sinks twenty degrees beneath zero.
Every inch of skin is covered
with layer upon layer,
A row of
knitted scarves stretch from ear to ear.
A foot of heavy snow rests against the doorstep.
I need a shovel to dig my
shovel out.
A gale force wind chaps my skin and bites my nose.
Inside the kettle calls my name,
It screams out loud for tepid tea.
The weatherman
reports another blizzard on the way.
Snow falls in flakes, and then in clumps.
The electricity keeps flickering
on and off.
Candles are lit, bathtubs are filled.
We build a blanket fort, and snuggle deep inside.
Shivering feet
curl around a smooth and steaming bottle.
