Guardian of the Winter Garden

A week or so ago I was surveying the grey, crumpled flower beds

at the front of the cottage, mourning the loss of color.

I decided that my "Scare Lady" needed a winter cloak

and a bit of scarlet as she watches over the winter garden.

Throughout the summer, she is outfitted in pristine white...

a very plain girl with just a few Morning Glory vines

to embellish her hat and smock.

(She insists the blossoms bring out the blue of her eyes...)

When Autumn arrives she is wrapped in a burlap cape,

with a rose hip bouquet and a few seed heads here and there,

blending quietly into the dun landscape.

But now, with the snow falling she has a bit more color,

a dash of red and green,
to brighten the deep snow-heavy days.