Winter Near the Woods

The setting is a heavily wooded area as winter approaches. The speaker observes the way the trees lose their leaves to preserve energy, nutrients, and water. Though it looks like the trees have died from the outside due to their bare branches, in reality they have entered a state of life-saving dormancy. The speaker is aware of what is happening inside the trees: they have "pulled their aliveness / back in from their branches, / down into their fortress trunks / and the dark, subterranean closeness / of their roots" (2-6). Despite the trees' desolate appearances, the speaker knows that they will sprout new buds in the spring.

The Winters of Our Lives

The poem literally takes place during winter, but the speaker also discusses the winters of our lives. This refers to instances of loss, illness, and burnout. Though we may feel depleted, the speaker reframes these circumstances...