Great Barnegat Bay,

No match for the chill of mighty winter.

Even scarved in saline she cannot withstand its grip

Nor shelter her residents from its icy hand.

Fractured ice flows appear as mirrored plain;

Sea birds scavenge

Spying the cracks and holes for sustenance,

Receiving only a baptism of frigid water in return

Life goes on unfettered beneath her rugged exterior.

Cattails line her shores

Hunched under the weight of snow and ice,

Browned and solid as if petrified.

Nor’easter after nor’easter has taken its toll

Leaving a barren tundra in their wake.

This too shall renew in thaw,

Icy plates melding back into the bay,

Birds once again feasting in their land of plenty,

Cattails finding the strength to stand straight in the warming winds.

Nay this will not be the last,

Her life blood destined to repeat this dance in natures echo,

Yet she perseveres despite all she endures.

This has gone on for time immemorial,

Making her hard–

Strong as steel, unwavering in her resolve.

Still under a summer sun she softens,

Gentle in her warm embrace,

Diamonds reflecting off her fluid gown,

She is a lady,

Loved and cherished by all who know her.

~

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~