Lenten Reflection from The Archives
Running in Winter
Cold air bracing
filling spaces between
trees with snow
cold on paths
and stone
as the regular beat
of foot and breath
capture white
puffs on slate
palates where path
falls into forest
and through the ice
the gray grasses
tramped down
reveal the brightest
green shoots
defiant
and audacious
growing
bold-faced
in January
Running outside in the winter is hard work. But occasionally, I will see signs of life and hope in the most barren of seasons—green shoots on the side of the path, or a silent prayer on a cold-day run. Lent feels like these winter runs. Even in the most barren of seasons, we look forward to the green shoots of hope.
Submitted by Meg Silver in 2021