Winter Comes Early

 Winter Comes Early

 

Is it the light, seeping through the bare tree branches, early—or slipping below the western horizon, late afternoon?

Is it the crisp mornings, the deck white with frost, treacherous to walk?

Is it the piles of brown leaves suddenly whooshed off the trees?

Is it the piped Christmas/Xmas music in the stores right after Halloween?

The scurry hurry of frantic squirrels feasting upon the sodden porch pumpkins.

Maybe the 4 inches of snow that fell overnight and frosted the porch, the pumpkins, made the deck a blanket, blanketed the piles of dead leaves, and gave the music context, a sense of cozy familiarity, as we lit candles and warmed our hands around mugs of hot mulled cider.

Wintery.

It came.