The Breath of Winter

When I walked outside this morning

I could see my breath.

I kind of felt like a dragon breathing fire

When I first walked outside,

the air nipped at my fingers, nose, and ears.

It was almost like a ravenous dog.

It was hungrier than usual.

It went straight for my earing and bit down hard onto it so much so that it hurt.

It didn’t bite my toes but simply nipped at them.

It bit at my fingers, making them go numb, and I began to think they had fallen off.

It made it impossible for me to bend them and it felt like they would never be warm.

It froze my warm drink quickly.

The breeze felt like a slap to my face and made me cry.

I am not built for the cold.

It makes me shiver uncontrollably.

We have a long history of hatred toward each other.

It hurts my lungs and makes it impossible to breathe.

The cold can be deadly but it is also beautiful.

The snow looks like thousands of tiny crystals.

The light from the morning sun reflects off of the crystals and it’s almost as if the sky is on the ground.

It creates designs on your windows and it puts smooth glass on the ground.

The glass helps you glide across the earth and it feels like you’re flying.

-Hannah Fitzgerald