POET

Shape Shifter
By M. E. Wood

Snow dappled trees lean from the weight
Huskies travel with a speedy gait
Crystallized lakes creek and crack
No beast takes the time to look back

Nature blazes a plan of its own
Duration and character are never known.
Winter sleep conceals the land,
A forced rest from a sometimes bitter hand.

*published in Sol Magazine / January 2003

COMMENTS: Great rhyme. Nice encompassing of every aspect of nature, from the trees to the dogs to the lakes and land itself. Interesting analogy of winter to a roaring fire advancing on the land where "no beast takes the time to look back," for the two are equal in unpredictability. Excellent closing lines.