The Cold

She lived in a world that was bitterly cold,

where the wind would really bite at her face.

She knew it was hard and the terrain only for the bold,

But she knew she was set on this race.

She would bundle up tight in the comfort of words,

and the occasional warmth of a touch.

But as winter got colder and the nights got longer,

the little she had wasn't much.

The lonely wind would get faster and what she had for a shelter,

would buckle under the strain of it all.

Until she knelt to her knees and pick up the bundle,

of leather-bound books down the hall.

She tossed them all in the fire and snuggled up close,

to a comfort of surrender and grace.

She realized in that moment that this heat was enough,

even in such a cold and dark place.