Nine Wintry Outlooks Poem by Charl JF Cilliers

I
on the rocks tiny
white spume birds rise up in flight
and then melt away

II
waves break against rocks
spindrift snow thaws on those rough
crusty surfaces

III
crabs hide in silence
dig in against the dragging
of outgoing tides

IV
a single tree stands
bare in the wind on the dunes
the sun dies early

V
no footsteps are left
of lovers in the short-lived
laughter of sunlight

VI
pebbles move with sounds
of melting ice cubes clinking
in an empty glass

VII
before the moon comes
the sounds of small waves rush in
then quickly depart

VIII
a cormorant sits
a dark shadow on rocks where
snow flakes are falling

IX
the white frozen moon
on the sand now the warmest
colour of winter