the consequence of ice

Part I

I have stood within your perennial shadow

heard the rustling of seasons in your leaves

as you have withstood years of frenzied winds

hail and rain have both had their ways with you

and your limbs have worn the silent beauty of pristine snow

through all of this you have persisted stable and sure

earning my love for your beauty and respect for your strength

until you finally met a force stronger than your own

Part II

that day that the rains came and the temperatures fell

you bowed down to the elements as if begging them for mercy

as they heartlessly tested your endurance with great leverage

(for ice is truly beauty without mercy and weight without relief)

the first tour bent your limbs until they touched the ground

encumbered weakened and weary but mostly unbroken

you managed to survive that storm relatively unscathed

another round was more than your waning integrity could bear

throughout that long night and into the next morning

when the sun caught the ice like crystal in its rays

feigning brilliance as it afflicted you once more

from the window I watched helpless with dismal regret

when the ice stopped I stood witness to the damage

beholding a world held captive beneath an eerie landscape

that was at once beautiful and haunting in its destruction

the screams of other trees assaulted my ears as they fell beneath their burdens

and there you stood before me so broken and maimed that I cried

you fought bravely and bore your wounds as proudly as you could

we stood their grieving together over the evidence of a fierce battle

your limbs rent from your body and scattered upon the frozen earth

fallen soldiers unable to withstand their second frigid war 

when the ice finally cleared and your burden decreased

you remained proud despite the injuries inflicted upon you

two days later as we pulled each lost branch away

I empathized with your soundless lament

my eyes cast to the task to allow you your dignity

quietly whispering promises of spring and warmth

when buds will become the leaves of summer

and I will stand within your shadow 

so that perhaps you may feel whole again