Catharsis

Coldest cold winter day, so cold that the wind is frozen still
So cold your breath forms a cloud that snows to the ground
The sun is frozen high in the icy blue sky
and flashes tiny daggers from the snow up into your eyes

Layer up, layer over layer, go out to see just how cold
Let the old dog stay in, too cold for his feet
The horses in their stalls, blanketed, heads down,
Need more hay. Walk out into the field

Silence, nothing moves as deep coldest cold
Stops sound waves so you don't hear a thing
Until you walk into them, and they crack
And thaw out in your ear

The air is amazingly clear
The air is unbelievably fresh
The air is startlingly clean
And it hurts to take a deep breath

In the hedgerow in a tiny cocoon
The chrysalis that started last fall
Slows to minuteness as nature
Coldly cleanses and refreshes the earth