Winter's Embrace
I’m cold, so very cold,
Like the winter moon hanging in the frozen sky,
My breath fogs around me, the only testament to what little warmth remains inside,
I huddle against a stone wall, seeking shelter from the biting wind that whips through the empty streets,
My fingers, numb from the cold, clutch tightly at the tattered coat draped around me,
I'm hungry, tired, and alone,
There was a chill in my heart, a void that seemed impossible to fill,
I gaze up at the moon, its pale light casting a ghostly glow over the desolate surroundings,
I feel a kinship with it, and wonder if even the moon gets tired of floating in the vast emptiness of space,
Never finding a place to call home,
A small bit of fluff rubs against my leg,
I look down to find a cat,
I reach down and pick up the small creature, it is as hungry, cold, and lonely as I am,
But, there is a small flicker of warmth within it,
A tiny flame, easily extinguished in the harsh reality of our existence, but it is there,
The small creature clung to that tiny flame, a last remaining shred of hope that maybe, just maybe, things would get better,
For now, we would endure the cold, the loneliness, and the hunger,
Because we knew that as long as that small flame burned,
We still had a chance,
And as long as we had a chance, we would keep fighting, keep surviving,
Until we find our place in the world.

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Wolfenshire, Moderator/Community Leader