"A Wintry Mile"

 

 "A Wintry Mile"

by Grace Noll Crowell

 IDEALS Christmas Magazine 1959

I know that my work is waiting,
I know how long it will take,
But I shall walk a wintry mile
For my own spirit's sake.

I shall lift my face to the blowing
Of the clean wind down the land,
I shall dig by a tangled tree root
With a quick exploring hand,
To find the new green mosses
Blanketed warm and bright.

I shall break the ice at the stream's edge
To see the emerald light
Of a three-leafed clover lying
Tender and green as spring;
My cheeks shall gather the roses
That wintry winds can bring.

Then I shall go back to my labor,
To the tasks so hard and long,
With my heart as light as a bubble,
And on my lips a song.

 

Billie C.