In deep winter, I found these
reasons to be glad—
the black-green pines, heaving,
arms laden with beauty,
their willful persistence,
hard and enduring as stars.
And against the silvering sky,
bare branches straining
upward, waving like eager
children who know the answer—
me ready to write it down.
_
Antonia Clark, a longtime medical writer and editor, has also taught poetry and fiction writing and is co-administrator of an online poetry forum, The Waters. She has published poetry in numerous print and online journals, as well as in two full-length poetry collections, Chameleon Moon and Dance Craze. In addition to reading and writing, Toni enjoys painting abstract landscapes, loves French picnics, and plays French café music on a sparkly purple accordion.
© 2023, Antonia Clark
Halfway Down the Stairs 