When Winter Waltzes In…A Horrible Attempt at Free Verse

When winter waltzes in

It's never subtle

However hard it tries to be. 

Sneakily swiping degrees 

And minutes of daylight 

From our warm lovely summers.
Slowly choking life
And colour
Away from the leaves 
That so graciously
Dress our maples. 
Suffocating them 
So viciously 
That they turn red 
From lack of oxygen…
Or so it seems. 
When winter waltzes in
Crickets go to sleep
And flower petals fall
Pink
Yellow
Blue
Against the earth. 
The geese leave for the tropics 
Honking
As they pass in the grey sky above us. 
The nipping winter wind 
Whistles by
Slow and steady
And then stronger
Chilling our bones 
Like ice.
By November 
Summer is forgotten 
Winter is all we can think of.
Ice
Cold
Wind. 
Hot cocoa becomes our only comfort. 
The smooth
Warm 
Silky taste 
Of chocolate. 
The fire in the hearth 
Glows orange 
Red
And yellow.
The crackling embers 
Sparkling 
Flickering
Against the coal.
Thick grey wool socks
Burgundy track pants 
Green fleece sweatshirts 
The fresh smell of pine 
Balsam
And the luminescent light 
From candles in the room. 
When winter waltzes in
These things keep us cozy. 
Protecting us from the cold
That has taken over outside. 
When we look out 
Our windows
That shield us from the air 
We struggle
To see 
A single speck of life. 
Winter has robbed 
Our world of its beauty
The only thing remaining
The baby pink petals 
Of a single
Closing
Primrose
And soon 
Not even this will remain. 
When Winter Waltzes in
And the trees are naked
Marshmallow fluff clouds 
Cover our dark sky
As the wind starts to howl
Against the crimson brick 
That is holding up our houses. 
Tea brewing 
Branches shaking
Dark settling
Street lights glowing.
Flakes start to fall
Gracefully landing 
And shimmering
Sparkling.
When winter waltzes in. 

The Puppet in All of Us...a Point

Being someone's puppet doesn't necessarily mean that you're a prisoner unable of  escaping punishment, tied to 

unbreakable strings binding you forever. A lot of the time we are other people's puppets without even realizing it, 

enjoying our performance and applause so much that we are oblivious to the fact that we are being controlled. Held up by someone else and basing our identity in what our puppeteers deem to be acceptable.

We're afraid, sometimes terrified, to resist the tugging on our wires for even a minute in case we make a fool of ourselves 

in front of other people and receive their negative judgement. And so, we go through our lives doing as we're told and 

expected, and nothing more. It might be boring, monotonous, and probably doesn't even go along with what our beliefs 

are, but we don't care. We care more about our puppeteers affirmation and the sense of false security that comes with it, 

than we do about our own ideology.

The truth is simple:

Wake up.

A life spent pleasing other people isn't a life at all; it's a pointless desert wander. 

We need to stop being lemmings that jump off of cliffs because someone says the word, and be like eagles instead, soaring through our journeys.

Take charge of your own life and do what you believe in.

Grow up, cut your strings and walk away. 

Christmas Cards Galore

It's almost December, which means that for most people it's time to start writing and sending Christmas cards…and let's admit it, it's the one time of year that we actually use the 'snail mail' system. 
The hardest part about sending cards is typically not labelling the envelopes-although that takes a lot of time-but instead finding the cards themselves. People want to send greetings that are cute, sentimental, and of course reasonably priced, but it's hard to find that in your run of the mill department store. Most places sell packs of twenty for a minimum of $8.00, and unless you've found the bargain of the season, they're typically nothing special. No glitter, no sparkles and no pizzazz.  
If you can relate to this, then I am glad to present the perfect solution:

Original water colour Christmas cards with a variety of pictures available to chose from, and the opportunity to write your own custom messages inside. 

Glenn Farrell is a local Grimsby, Ontario artist with a passion for painting. Currently he has an interest in snowmen, capturing their character and whimsical charm with his brushstrokes. His cards are available through Fine Art America on his website. 
For more info, artwork and cards, visit the link below!

Glenn Farrell Art