The Winter Garden Poem by Gianfranco Aurilio

There is a winter garden
within me.
When the rain of life,
ceaseless and cruel,
slashes the strings of my soul,
when the hail
batters and stings my eyes
dragging me into the darkness,
when the clouds
rumble with thunder
and hurt my ears
which crave silence,
when snowstorms
and windy tempests
freeze my soul,
I look for a shelter in that garden
and I surround myself with flowers
made of hopes,
with memories
of past joys,
with joys that I'm living now
and those which I dream of,
with my present loves
and those far away,
with unforgettable moments
and sweet visions.
There is a winter garden
within me.
Will I ever be able to tend it?
And for how long?