Winter teaches the art of keeping still.
Fields fold their hands beneath a quilt of snow,
roots listening to the slow clock of the earth.
Nothing looks busy,
yet everything is preparing.
Trees stand with empty arms,
unburdened of leaves,
learning how light feels when it is thin.
They do not apologize for the pause.
They do not rush the thaw.
Even rivers learn restraint,
holding their breath beneath a skin of ice,
dreaming of movement
without needing to move.
So rest, like winter does.
Let your days shorten.
Let silence sit beside you
without asking it to speak.
What sleeps now is not gone—
it is gathering strength,
storing warmth in dark places,
waiting for the exact moment
when return becomes inevitable.
Thank-you for reading.
Remember there are many paths back to God.
Follow your own path,
Brenda Marie
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This is simply breathtaking, Brenda. You have captured the profound, quiet intelligence of winter and turned it into a gentle, imperative wisdom for the soul. The poem moves with such grace—from the folded fields and listening roots to the unapologetic trees and dreaming rivers—each image a perfect, quiet revelation.
The final stanza is a profound comfort: “What sleeps now is not gone— / it is gathering strength…” It transforms rest from emptiness into a sacred act of preparation. This isn’t just a poem about a season; it’s a permission slip for the human spirit to embrace its necessary pauses. Truly beautiful and deeply needed work. Thank you for sharing this.🌷🤝
Thank you so much for this generous and attentive reading. I’m deeply moved by how closely you listened to the poem—your reflection feels like a continuation of it, rather than a response from outside.
I love the way you describe winter’s “quiet intelligence”; that’s exactly the presence I was trying to honor. And yes—rest as something purposeful, even sacred, feels especially necessary right now. If the poem offered even a small permission to pause and trust what’s gathering beneath the surface, then it has done its work.
I’m truly grateful for your words and for the care you brought to them. 🌷
—Brenda