Ashen World

From a distance it nears

Falling in silence 

Quiet breath overpowers

Snow at this time of year

I touch the softness

resting upon the ground

It does not melt

Mixed Messages

What is it?

Are you waiting 

to read the tea leaves?

Can you not read 

the lines in your palms?

What are the trees telling you 

in the movements

of their bare branches?

This is the sign.

The Gods favor you.

You know what the ancients said 

about those the Gods favored.