My Depressive Mind

Melt

I wander through the silent forest
Weaving my way around frozen giants
My warm puffs of breath my only companion
Fallen snow dampens the sound of my footsteps and the steel-grey sky promises more to come
Not even song birds dare to disturb the fragile tranquility that a winter morning brings
Snowflakes dance down from the heavens only to melt away when they meet my tongue
Such fleeting beauty
Breathtaking intricacy, so graceful and pure
Here one moment and gone the next
One second is all it takes for such a thing to disappear from this world
One decision made and one action taken ensures that this snowflake will never reach the ground
There are many more but none will ever be the same
The snow falls faster
Melting onto my head
I blink the water from my eyes and move on
Bare branches pierce the sky
Shattering the image of endless, peaceful nothingness
The rough texture of the bark can be felt as I brush by, just barely touching the trees
A bitter wind blows over me and forces an involuntary shiver from my bones
Snow is briefly thrown off course
I watch as the dancing flakes play in the eddies of winter's frigid breath
A brief smile catches the edges of my lips off guard as I stand transfixed by nature's antics
But that smile soon dissipates as my mind reminds me why I'm here
I walk on, marveling at the beauty the world holds when it is frozen
My tracks are quickly filled in with white
Any evidence of my existence erased
Like I was never there
Ahead of me stands an enormous, majestic tree
Twisting branches reach upwards and gnarled roots disappear into the earth
My steps slow as I approach, resigned to my decision
I reach the comforting embrace of the giant and place one palm against the chilled bark
Slowly I turn to watch the forest as I slide to the ground, cradled by the roots at the tree's base
They are solid and strong behind my back
The snow is slowing, individual flakes once again discernible
The silence of this place is tangible
It's icy beauty holds a hidden meaning
Slowly, the air grows colder
The spaces between the white clouds of my breath grow longer
I take one last look at the beauty before me
Imprint the swirling snow and swaying branches into my memory
Watch the unchanging grey sky for the final time
With a heavy sigh I close my eyes and let myself slip away
Snowflakes come to rest on my face
And melt away with me...