Jack Frost

I met a boy by the pond
He perched like a cat there, just before dawn.
His hair was white as snow
And his eyes were icy blue.
The stars caught an ethereal light
On his cloak, sewn with silver.
He carried a shepherd's crook
Carved of wood from the elder tree
His feet were bare and pale as the moon.
He was a ghost, and I was afraid.

But his face was kind
And his smile was pure
And he seemed very glad I was there.
So slowly, slowly, I approached
To hear the story he had to share.

"The moon gave me my name," said he.
"The night, the first light, my domain.
Few believe in me; fewer can see me
But I enjoy life all the same."

We talked for a while by the pond.
The air was cold; it was dark before dawn.
And I knew he would soon depart,
Lost in the warming air.
I asked if I would see him again.
He said, "Maybe, if you believe that you might."
Then his teeth flashed white,
The sun came up and he was gone...
Gone...

"The moon gave me my name...
A whisper on the breeze.
I was left in the stillness and silence
As the morning lit up the trees.

I wondered if he was a dream,
That winter sprite that I met by the pond.
Though I haven't seen him since,
A part of me still believes.
And I'll never stop hopefully waiting
For a tingling laugh like the ice on the breeze
And the chance that I'll meet him once more
In the coldest hour, in the dark before dawn...