“The Grief of Winter”

On By Mike U.In Poetry

(Author’s note: On January 20, 2025, fascism replaced democracy in America…)

“The Grief of Winter”
© 2024 by Michael L. Utley

in each flake
a brief eternity
the grief of winter
as December bleeds out
and January’s hell awaits

there shall be
no insensate oblivion
no benignant Lethe
no purgatorial reprieve
awaiting us on eternity’s cusp

only the purulent spoils
of our own wretchedness
a just reward for
embracing hate
and abandoning compassion

we have chosen darkness
consorted with the enemy
sold our souls in our
lust for power
and betrayed our fellows

January’s hell awaits
and we will all suffer
for the sins of those
who embrace fascism
racism and intolerance

those with black hearts
and frozen souls
have birthed a monstrosity
a nameless winter wendigo
whose reign of terror awaits

and what say you
you betrayers who have
cast your lot with madmen
who would see your fellows
dead or worse

what say you
when your turn shall come
when your wendigo god
regards you
with its slavering grin

our new world
a vast expanse of ice
a permafrost desolation
incessant howling winds
and the screams of the damned

winter’s grief
the delicate crystal latticework
of hiemal tears shattered
human warmth is dead
eternal winter has arrived

70 thoughts on ““The Grief of Winter””

  2. This part:

    “January’s hell awaits
    and we will all suffer
    for the sins of those
    who embrace fascism
    racism and intolerance

    those with black hearts
    and frozen souls
    have birthed a monstrosity
    a nameless winter wendigo
    whose reign of terror awaits”

    What’s getting me is those who voted for him thinking they wouldn’t be accosted or treated differently when that goofball has said outta his mouth what his intentions are! The world will feel this . . . we won’t be the only ones suffering..🥺🥺🥺

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    1. You’re right, of course, trE. It’s a mess. Those who gleefully worship this monster are gonna get hit so hard when he destroys the social safety net. So many red-state voters are going to lose everything and so quickly they won’t even know what hit them. And even though I voted blue, I’ll lose everything, too, as I’m disabled and rely on social safety net programs for income, healthcare and housing. When it happens (and it will, soon), I’ll be homeless.

      The world will definitely suffer, too…and it’s just beginning…

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      1. It breaks my heart. I wish people actively researched him and listened to what he said; truly listened. *Sighs*

        I saw a bumper sticker on a person’s car that said, “Trump lied to you”, and I just shouted in agreement while driving behind them!

        Hang in there as best as you can, Mike. I am in constant prayer for everyone. 🙏🏾🩵

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    1. I’m right with you, Maggie. I was incensed. It was monstrous, and appeared to be premeditated to humiliate Zelensky. I have nothing but disgust for that abomination and those who put him back into power. Everyone–here and abroad–will suffer.

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    1. Thank you, David. I wrote this piece at the end of December but didn’t publish it. I thought it was too negative at the time. Knowing now what I didn’t know then, I felt it was more than appropriate. I witnessed two fascist thugs bully Ukraine’s President Zelensky in the Oval Office last Friday. The anger and shame I felt were overwhelming. It truly does feel like the end–an eternal winter…

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  8. Keeping my prayerful fingers crossed for all the vulnerable (everywhere). Perhaps he will self-combust. Okay, I didn’t put THAT into prayer, but I have been tempted to do so for years, now. I’m mystified by those who have no regrets (yet!) in having voted him back in. Hard to believe family and friends could have grown so cold/blind. It’s too good a poem, Mike.

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    1. Thanks, Carol. I’m afraid I’ve given into that temptation you mentioned numerous times already. It’s such a helpless feeling. Most of my own family voted for this monster. Most of my town, county and congressional district did as well. “Mystified” is a good way of putting it. Perhaps when everything on earth is destroyed because of this abomination, the price of eggs will finally come down, eh? Maybe then they’ll be happy… We need a miracle.

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    1. Oh, I know, Jane, and it’s both frightening and heart-breaking that this has come to pass. Like I mentioned to David above, I wrote this piece in late December but thought it was too negative, too doom-and-gloom, to publish. Now, it just seems fitting to release this one into the world. Even if the good guys win and the bad guys crawl back into their holes, things will never be as they were. Too much has changed, too many holes have been found and exploited in our democracy. We must stop this madness and shore things up, lest this happens again…and again…

      Thank you for being a light in this current darkness, my friend.

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      1. On a “light” note, if YOU thought it was too dark to publish then that is really saying just how dark it is! 😏You’re right that things will never be the same again, assuming some sense of decency returns, but hopefully the lessons learned when we all emerge from this nightmare will not be forgotten. Sadly, some of the lessons aren’t as reassuring as others.

        Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you so much, Beth. Hope is powerful, especially when things appear bleak. I hope we can fix what’s broken and emerge stronger and wiser. Thank you for your kind support and for stopping by today.

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  11. A powerful poem, Mike, that resonates to my core. We were never a flawless nation, but I thought we were better than this. The rapist no longer needs the rabble who put him in power, and they’re discovering that he didn’t care about them to begin with. His “slavering grin” has already turned on them, and I feel very little pity.

    I do not believe, though, that human warmth is completely dead, my friend. It’s been trampled by 72 million abyssmal Americans, but there are an equal number still holding out, and many who are still making a difference. It’s only been 7 weeks and already the dictator is in trouble.

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    1. I’m hoping this worst-case scenario doesn’t play out, Diana. It’s overwhelming, and the fear and dread–especially for folks like me who rely on the social safety net just to survive–are absolutely real. It’s so difficult to imagine 77 million people caught up in a mass-psychosis like this. It’s also unfathomable that something like 90 million eligible voters stayed home. They’re complicit, too. Yes, there are signs of cracks appearing in maga’s golden calf, but what worries me is that when animals are cornered, they become even more dangerous. Terrifying stuff.

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      1. Yes, those 90 million are complicit, and they too will have to endure the fallout. They can look back on that day with other Trump voters and tell their grandchildren how they destroyed the country and are responsible for their family’s suffering. The golden calf is doubling down, but its foundation is cracking, and its minions are getting worried. That’s a good thing.

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    1. Thank you, Ashley. It’s surreal and frightening. I keep wanting to apologize to the world for what America has wrought–it’s affecting everyone, everywhere. I’m so ashamed of my fellow citizens for foisting their madman upon the world.

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      1. It’s not what the USA have done, it’s what a certain person/s has/have done! I keep up with most political news from around the globe & find there are lots of hateful leaders but the current incumbent of the WH is possibly one of the worst. I wouldn’t buy snake oil from him! If you’d prefer not to display this comment I’m happy for you to delete it!

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    2. No worries, Ashley–I agree with you completely. You’ve spoken truthfully, my friend. It’s just inexplicable that he has so many under his thrall. It’s disturbing. I hope there’s something left to rebuild after all the destruction he’s causing.

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    1. Thank you, Joanne. I, too, hope this scenario doesn’t play out. Regardless of how this ends, things will never be the same. I hope we can pick up the pieces and salvage something worth keeping.

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  14. A powerful poem, Mike! I haven’t watched the news since the election night. I glance at the headlines once in a while and hope the Almighty helps us through the next four years.

    I want to email you a 6×9 book template for you to entertain the thought of publishing. You have enough poems to make a poetry collection illustrated with your photography. Would you like to give me your email address?

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. Thank you, Miriam. I try not to check the news sites, too, but I end up getting a lot of info in emails from candidates and organizations I support. I’ll probably end up with an ulcer from all the worrying.

      Sure, if you’d like, you can get hold of me directly through my Contact page that goes directly to my email. Thank you for thinking of me regarding the book template. 😊

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    1. Thank you, Michele. This stuff builds up inside me and I can’t bear to stand on the sidelines and silently watch the destruction. The people who need to read this will never see my blog, of course, but I must speak, out nonetheless.

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  19. “those with black hearts
    and frozen souls
    have birthed a monstrosity
    a nameless winter wendigo
    whose reign of terror awaits”

    Your words are chilling but every day brings more confirmation that this is the situation and it is worsening. We on the other side of the Pacific are gobsmacked. We hope that things can change for the better and that this crazy aberration will ignite the population to ensure correct political representation and that a man like Trump and JD can never secure power again.

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    1. Thank you so much. The awful and frightening realization is that there are so many people here in the U.S. who embrace hatred, racism, misogyny, bigotry, intolerance, conspiracy theories, propaganda and lies coming from the extreme right-wingers. Add to that the 90 million eligible voters who didn’t vote and you have a surreal and insane situation here. I honestly don’t know if we can fix what’s happening here. Even if, by some miracle, things reverse their course and these traitors are soundly and permanently defeated and imprisoned, nothing will be the same as it was. Too much damage has already been done. The USA has become both the world’s laughingstock and enemy. I’m 61 years old and I’ve never witnessed anything like this here in my country, and it’s terrifying. I do everything I can each day in terms of what little activism I can perform, but it’s not enough. So many people here are stunned or frozen in fear or complacent or in denial. “It can never happen here” is actually happening here right now.

      Thank you for your kind words of support. We decent Americans pray that the world understands that we are against this traitorous coup and we’re fighting for our lives and what’s left of our democracy. My heart is broken…

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      1. You are 61, I am 62. We may not have lived through WWII but we darn well heard about it if we studied history at school. The similarities of an upswell of fear, rise of the far right wing elements, the deceit and terror can be compared. I pity those who disregarded their right to exercise a vote – nearly for times our coubtry’s entire population. Here a vote is highly valued by many and… compulsory.
        Although that can have disadvantages, it might lead to different outcomes. (notwithstanding the allegation of vote tampering in key states by Musk)

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    2. Yes. the parallels are uncanny and terrifying. As you said, one needn’t experience the horrors of WWII to have an understanding of what occurred and why. It’s always been a point of shame, I think, that so many Americans neglect their basic civic duty of voting and taking part in democracy. So many are completely ignorant of how our government is supposed to operate and the important issues of the day. The republican party is a cult led by a stupid/evil wannabe dictator, and musk…he’s incredibly dangerous. I can’t see a way out of this that doesn’t cause immense damage to the entire world.

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  20. The USA positioned itself as a leader of the few world. Things got tough and the predator took advantage of those weaknesses and discontent to promulgate hateful regime of fanatics. I am trying to see this as an opportunity for those Americans who didn’t vote TO become motivated and involved, but the damage to America’s international reputation might not be so easily repaired. You are right about the collateral damage while the Republican/Trump cult continues. I read one report that says Trump was well aware of the stupidity in the Republican party and that is why it suited him.

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  21. Powerful, Mike, and an accurate commentary on our current situation here in the United States. The winter and the Wendigo are here and consuming all in the way. I can’t believe where we are and I dread to think where we will be in four years…

    I appreciate your courage in speaking truth, my friend! Blessings, Mike, and prayers for our nation.

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    1. Thanks, Peggy. It’s a fraught time, indeed. It’s like a massive pile-up on an icy freeway–one crash after another, and everything’s burning. If you count all the people who voted for this madness and add all the people who were eligible to vote but didn’t, that’s more than 160 million people who are responsible for this. Nearly half the population. That doesn’t take into account all the people who would have voted for this monster but weren’t eligible to vote for whatever reasons. It doesn’t say much for our country, does it?

      I’m too old for this. I didn’t vote for the end of the world. I voted for hope and goodness and compassion and fairness and equality…all the things the other side hates so much. I hope we can fix what’s broken and salvage what’s left of our country, our democracy and our reputation. The outlook at this point is pretty bleak.

      I appreciate you, my friend. Thanks for your kindness, always.

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  22. a just reward for
    embracing hate
    and abandoning compassion

    When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. This is how you know the system is jacked, that when a population is so frustrated with the existing rulers, they are only given the option of “this”
    The revolution is coming.

    This is a powerful piece of writing, Mike. I love how you wrote from the depths of angst, frustration, and foreboding. But also with a prophetic eye, reminding all who chose this will share in the chaos to come. No one will be left untouched.

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    1. Thank you, Nigel. It’s a mess, for sure. Each new day, another nightmare. And you’re right: we must believe people–especially the enemies of humanity–when they show us who they are. These monsters aren’t lying. They flat-out threw a PowerPoint presentation at us of their plans for world destruction (Project 2025) and people still voted for them… Most of my own family voted for them, the majority of my area in southwest Colorado voted for them. 77 million “official” voters cast their ballots for them. And 90 million people…stayed home, remained silent for whatever petty, self-serving reasons. And now, here we are, a nation on the gallows platform, awaiting the noose. Hyperbole? Not to me.

      I have only one hope remaining, and that is this will finally wake people up to the reality of political corruption and wealth inequality and extremist right-wing white christian nationalism and all the hate these things entail. Revolution is right. It’s coming.

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      1. I keep praying for people to wake up, but many are drunk with that special Elixir that keeps them distracted or happy in their own little world. But revolution changes in a moment what it takes politicians and do-gooders decades to achieve.

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  23. What a great piece of writing, Mike. It grips the person reading it like the fear that often will not let go. What will happen next? Just such truth is richly written and beautifully painted so that we can feel it in our bones. That cold chill.

    “those with black hearts
    and frozen souls
    have birthed a monstrosity
    a nameless winter wendigo
    whose reign of terror awaits”

    Strange how I think those that bit are getting bitten back somehow now. The proof was already in the pudding, so to speak as we had seen the forecast of what was to come. Great piece, Mike. A joy to read, although the message is so disturbing. We are sending our love and blessings your way.

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    1. Thanks so much, Joni. Yes, I think a lot of the other folks are experiencing buyer’s remorse right now, and rightly so. It’s just so incredibly frustrating that those of us who did NOT vote for this monster will suffer along with those who did. If there were ever a time for divine intervention, it’s right about now, I think.

      Thank you for reading, my friend, and for your always in-depth appraisals. I eagerly await your comments–they’re guaranteed to be thoughtful and wise. Much love to you and Scott. Hope your day is going well, my friend. 😊🙏

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      1. So true my friend. It is hard to believe this ever happened. I agree it is time for something amazing to take place too many are suffering all ready. Blessings to you Mike. Beautiful piece. ❤️🦋❤️

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