At the Winter Solstice

Like veins and capillaries black
against the evening sky,
naked winter branches suck
the last hour dry.

As flesh of light diminishes,
so fades the blush of day,
until its colors vanish
into solemnity.

***

Widely published in the literary press for fifty years, former Hallmark writer Barbara Loots has two collections: Road Trip and Windshift, both from Kelsay Books and available on Amazon.