Winter Begins

Winter Begins


The first snow drifts on winter’s whispered breath.
Its feather-like dispersion softly shrouds
the landscape in a placid mask of death,
its visage blank beneath a crown of clouds.

A burst of color seeks the waning sun.
A pansy, small and purple, shakes its head
in rhythm with the small breeze that’s begun,
preparing for the nights that lie ahead.

The land, in fallow slumber, starts to fade;
the vibrant colors pale to greys and blue,
yet it is not a time to be dismayed
for soon the warm touch of spring will renew.

The nights grow longer with each passing day;
the world is once more under winter’s sway.

An entry for "Monthly Poetry Contest" 
Prompt: Winter Times Begin
Word Count: 110
Line Count: 14
Form: English Sonnet ~ or Shakespearean sonnet has three quatrains and a couplet for a total of 14 lines. The rhyme is abab cdcd efef gg. This form is written in iambic pentameter.