“Walking a Snowy November Wood”

Walking a Snowy November Wood By Jason C. Merriam ’04

I was out because I had to be. The weather had been miserable, The previous days, relentless rain Framed by falling temperatures.

The landscape was unlike anything. The bright changing leaves encased in ice, Late summer into early winter, Autumn compressed into nothing.

A thin layer of wet snow covered It all. The beauty was so heavy, The branches snapped under the weight. Green mixed with crimson and gold,

The light prismatic, crowned in white Splendor. I forgot how cold it was. I stamped my feet to shake loose, My breath cold as the sun shone

Behind the gray snow clouds. The gravel road crunched beneath my feet. The buildings I saw reminded me Of the Freedom Trail of my twenties.

The houses timeless in shiplap, Maybe fifty, perhaps three hundred Years old. One never knows these days. Same with the old dry stack stone walls.

The sheer quiet was overwhelming. Not a single bird song could be heard. The evergreens stood, silent sentinels, Mantled in contemplation, waiting,

Ready for their age to come round once more. I continue on, a fortunate Observer to the unexpected Elegance of a November wood.