❝ Love winter when the plant says nothing,
when skies remind us of hospital sheets,
when earth is entombed in snow, when a random wing
from an unnamed bird casts shadows so deep
they might have been thrown by an unrepentant Satan,
when leaves abandon color and shape
to elope with shards, when homes barred with prism
daggers switch their Welcome mats to Stay Away.

Love husbands, love wives, when the talk is nothing
but Good Morning, Good Night, Turn Over,
when affection takes a backseat to housekeeping,
when vows are for worse, for sickness, for poorer.
And love the soul when the mind says Nothing.
Trust faith to set roots while it’s sleeping. ❞

- L. N. Allen, from “Starting With a Line From Thomas Merton”