Have you ever stopped to contemplate
When you gaze at winters wonderland,
Of all the suffering and the pain that lies
Hidden beneath the picture so grand,
We love to see the sun on the snow
And the ice decorating the trees,
Deep, clean snow on the forest floor
And pretty ice filigree that one sees.
But hidden within this relentless realm
Are poor creatures great and small,
They struggle hard for food and warmth
And many of the weak won't make it at all.
No grass for hungry deer or stately elk,
And the bark of trees as hard as steel.
The timid mouse stays hungry, scared
To venture far, or a cruel fate he'll seal.
The hungry hawk, raven and eagle strong,
Fly on weakened wings on the bitter air.
Nothing moves on the wicked white sheet,
No scraps left by the hibernating bear.
Man wraps warm against the winters blast,
But he with all his wisdom can be caught
In this seasons cruel beauty, and he too
Fights to survive to live, sometimes for naught.
So when you gaze in wonder at the beauty
That winter gives the north so unstintingly,
Think also of the cruel grasp that can kill
All who are weak or ill, or act too foolishly.
Ann Margetson
Jan 24 1996
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