Winter's Cleansing

a crisp, cool, oh-so-fresh breeze

hits my newly-shaven face

as the cleansing of the land begins,

the dew and fallen rain turns to ice

as the warmth of my heart fights,

that irrepressible

crisp, calming

fresh breeze

that coats my skin beyond the threshold of home

until the land is fully transformed,

the frost tops the remaining evergreens

the dawn offers a different joy,

as the sharp bite pierces and

the world glimmers anew,

with the scent of pine and sanitised serenity

the prevailing chill

brings with it

the winter frost's frigid battle

against the heat

emitting from the bodies, abodes and vehicles

staking its claim on the green dominion,

holding fast before edging out

creeping beyond its safe boundaries,

advancing, encroaching on the living

it settles—

and frost conquers

the green and concrete beneath

*

Thanks for reading!

Author's Notes: This is for the Frosted Verse Challenge, which you can find out more about below.

In other news, I'm doing the 250-word Microfiction NYC Midnight Challenge for the first time, so that's going to be interesting. I have my word, action and genre and I'm still percolating my ideas, but needed to be quick. Anyway, just dropping that in there. Wishing anyone else who is taking part well!

Here are some other things, including my most recent challenge that is still running: