“O, Mysterium Tremendum!” A Winter Prayer….

 

 

A Winter Prayer

O, Mysterium Tremendum!
Winter’s palette stark, unadorned
Devoid of the juiciness of Summer,
The prismatic beauty of Fall,
Yet still the perfect backdrop
For cardinals, nandina berries,
The holly and the evergreens.

We rejoice in Nature’s gifts
Of silence, stillness
When Earth has tucked in,
Burrowed down with pallid
Earthworms and things
That survive underground.

Above, mystical, blurred
A sudden snow storm has
Softened the brittle edges of vision
And brought about a mystery
This season  provides.

The flash of a cardinal
A blood-red streak in the sky,
Startles and lifts the heart.
The Nandina berries have changed
From the orange of autumn
To brilliant Christmas red.

–
Now humanity watches
For the return of the Sun and
The lengthening of days.

–

O, Overwhelming Mystery,
We, tucked in your bosom
With faith we will survive
The winter storms,
The howling winds
The hoarfrost,
The biting cold,
The darkness lasting too long,
The haunts in the attics
Shivering in hambone frenzy–
The wolves at the door.

The Earth will turn again
To be warmed by a new season.
Now we are grateful
For the gifts of silence and stillness
This leached season bestows us.

Jane Kohut-Bartels
Copyrighted, 2017

Tags: A Winter Prayer, Jane Kohut-Bartels, O. Mysterium Tremendum, Winter's palette