I believe
  it is not spring
  that carries renewal,
    enlightenment or
    realization.

Nor is it the green of new shoots
   springing from the warm earth
   that prompt in me new beginnings,
    freshness and
    awakening.

Bring me the crisp curtain of cold
   to take my breath briskly away
   and cover everything that I see
   in a pristine blanket of white.

Place before me a deer,
   a cardinal,
   a white-tailed rabbit...
   or better yet our dog Lacey
     making snow angels as I
     watch and smile,
     fingers numb in the frigidness,
     nose red with cold and
     eyes watering from the winter wind.

It is not spring
   that speaks to me of renewal
   and awakening,
   new beginnings and
   realizations.

It is the snow and the cold.
Winter.
It is the deep blankets of white
   that will give me
   peace and hope.