Leaves by the door on these our wintry days
Ascend a windswept stairway and assail
The traveller who comes but never stays.

The rising sun sets icy trees ablaze
And lights the drifted snow a morning gale
Leaves by the door on these our wintry days.

Filigreed windows mark a change of phase
For one who pulls the curtains back to hail
The traveller who comes but never stays,

Whose vagrant footprints leave the path and raise
Festoons of paler snow among the pale
Leaves by the door on these our wintry days.

A pair of shaken boots sheds melting glaze
And puddles in the entryway that trail
The traveller who comes but never stays.

Bright warmth, a moment’s rest, the urge to phrase
A plea to linger, all to no avail:
The traveller who comes but never stays
Leaves by the door on these our wintry days.

Post by E.S. May