Ode to a Snow Leopard by Joan Currie

In the peaks where snow doth lie,
A creature graced with silent stride,
Snow leopard roams beneath the sky,
In the realm where frost abides.

With fur of silver, spots of night,
Its gaze, ice blue, a mystic sight,
Amongst snow-capped mountains high,
A guardian beneath the moonlight.

Once a child of that mountain air,
A woman now, distant and fair,
From the village, she did part,
Leaving behind a heavy heart.

In dreams, she hears the snow’s soft call,
A longing echoes through the hall,
Her spirit yearns for frozen grace,
To wander in that wild embrace.

The snow leopard, a silent guide,
Through peaks where memories abide,
Its eyes like crystals, piercing cold,
A tale of nature’s beauty told.

The woman, haunted by the past,
Desires the mountains, free at last,
To return to where her soul belongs,
Amidst the snow, where it prolongs.

Through valleys deep and rivers wide,
Her heart retraces steps beside,
Towards the peaks, she yearns to climb,
Reconnect with frozen time.

Oh, snow leopard with eyes so bright,
Guide her through the frigid night,
To find her way, to nature’s lore,
To the mountains she adored once more.

The northern landscapes that shaped my early years now seem like distant dreams. I wish for a winter’s day, especially in the late afternoon as the sun is setting, when the snow is infused with soft shades of white, blue, lavender, and rose.