Winters Sentance

Winter took me by the scruff of the neck, guiding  me with  firm grip to an unfamiliar cave. "Sit" Winter commanded in its windswept voice.  "You are forbidden to taste the ripe fruits of a season yet come.  Now is a time to listen to your hollowness" "But what if the hollowness consumes me, snuffs out my flame?" Winter replied with an icy silent kiss upon my brow. 

At first, I fought this death, squinting my eyes to focus on the faint light from the world beyond the deep walls. My future was the sun that warmed my thoughts, yet leaning away from Winters sentence caused great pain.  Time became irrelevant, hope became a whisp and finally, I let go. My yearning had been like a seed seeking sun prematurely, trying to bloom in the biting cold. I had been fighting for a rhythm that listened to the mind and not the world.

Winter returned one day with a candle for me, rich beeswax with hints of cedar. "Its time to remember the warmth." This time as the radiant light filled the cave I could see Winter fully. Its eyes filled with ancient warmth and compassion, I knew then that Winter loved me.  Winter had gifted me with a stillness I would never choose upon myself before. Like a mother demanding a wiley child sleep.

I gazed into the heart of the flame 🔥