I am the bench of weathered pine
Where winter frost and iron twine
She leans her weight against my grain
A quiet prayer to end the rain
The Malus pumila stand in rows
Wrapped in a skin of heavy snows
Her apron holds a coffee stain
A tired soul in a cold domain
Rest in the white of the orchard glow
Where the heavy winter currents flow
Safe in the hold of the frozen deep
Falling away into silver sleep
Her fingers trace a jagged crack
The heavy world is on her back
The Prunus branches bend and sway
While gold and violet fade to gray
Rest in the white of the orchard glow
Where the heavy winter currents flow
Safe in the hold of the frozen deep
Falling away into silver sleep
Wait for the root to wake and rise
Under the gaze of velvet skies
Patiently holding the dormant seed
Giving the weary the peace they need
The diner lights are far and dim
The horizon is a jagged rim
She closes eyes for a moment's grace
A sudden calm on a weathered face
The soil is dark and the air is thin
The winter cycle is about to spin
I hold her still in the icy air
A wooden witness to a silent prayer
Rest in the white of the orchard glow
Where the heavy winter currents flow
Safe in the hold of the frozen deep
Falling away into silver sleep
Silver apple sleep.
Silver apple sleep.
