A winter forest stroll led me on a spirited adventure. It began when I noticed a face formed by snow on a tree trunk that reminded me of a deceased loved one. It turned into a day of magic and comfort and now I am sharing it with you through rhythm and rhyme with a revelation surprise ending!

One winters day sitting comfy in my chair

looked outside and noticed a stare,

It peered through my window, could feel it summon me

so dashed outside to have a look see,

I couldn’t deny what was before my eyes

it looked so real, I declared, “Oh my!”

Grabbed my camera to record the face

afterwards it sent me on a wild wild chase,

Searched for more snow faces portrayed on tree trunks

the eyes of the forest came closer the deeper I sunk,

The first to appear at my earliest beckon

was a masked man who seemed to be laugh’n,

At me no doubt, for my silly quest

challenging me as if some kind of test,

“At least I found you,” said to his face

He laughed all the more, but I continued my chase,

I tread and wandered deeper in

looking for another snow face to pin,

It took some time, but could sense their stares

closed my eyes for the forest to bare,

I stood very still

and made use of my will,

Low and behold

found another face in the cold,

Thank goodness he was more friendly than the last

a crooked smile he seemed to cast,

said hello and snapped a shot,

A shyness about him was the feeling I got

Not long after I said so-long to him

I came across his brotherly twin,

From there I sped off for another chance

to capture more faces at a glance,

Spied a friendly old man with a crooked nose

I hurried over, but tripped over my toes,

Picked myself up and thought I could hear

the face on the tree say, “Be careful my dear!”

Next, wandered over to Sir Sleepy and Sir Snooze

So not to disturb them, I stopped from shouting “You-Who’s”,

They looked so peaceful with Sir Sleepy in a snow pack

of which Sir Snooze lay comfortably in his night cap,

Tip-toed away hoping to find all the while

faces that reflected a happy smile,

Closed my eyes and used my intuition

the forest pointed me in the right direction,

I soon met Happy, who introduced me to the other Happy

who introduced me to the other, other Happy,

Sure, it seems wacky,

but it’s easy to tell them apart

One is cute, one is jolly, one is silly and all have big hearts,

Well, after a good laugh

got back on track,

I trusted the deep woods to lead the way

who was I to argue with the forest spirits, I say

Then what do you suppose

I noticed a face with an ample nose,

And then another nearby

with a nose longer than the other guy,

I said, “Don’t feel horrible”

“You’re both adorable!”

Suddenly, a slight breeze

shook snowflakes off the trees,

So gently and soft they fluttered

reflecting the sunlight in a free fall of glitter,

Sensed they were leading me in the direction to be headed

Felt comforted when sparkling snow spirits landed on my jacket,

The next face I spotted said, “Oooh!”

and the one after that said, “Eeehh!”

It gave me the know I was out of the haze

until I came across a twisted maze,

Where was I supposed to go from there?

In the forest, I suddenly felt scared,

Even though I had known

I wasn’t exactly alone,

Then the ghost of the farmer’s wife made an appearance

Generations ago, she and her husband grew fruit trees here in abundance,

She said not to worry too much

You’ll find your way again, just trust,

Never mind that fella below with a fright

Just remember to follow the light,

Things got more serious after that

Sure, the light revealed another path,

But this time I wanted to find the perfect place

with the face of an angel full of beauty and grace,

I had seen plenty of smiles and other expressions

that provided lots of fun, each with a unique impression,

I journeyed my own trail and rolled the dice

But everything blended together in fluffy ice,

Then, a face larger than life straight in front of me

provided his wisdom far beyond what I could see,

I ask the Tree Spirit to show me an angel where hidden,

He told me right under my nose, if only I imagined

Now close your eyes, quiet the mind

Let your soul be the guide,

Then see what can happen

when you’re willing to listen,

So I contemplated the wise words of the ghostly tree

and after a while it occurred to me,

The angel faces were there all along

They needn’t look the way I insisted upon,

They all had to a degree

beauty and grace watching over me,

I felt at peace and called it a day

Reflected on my adventure so it wouldn’t fade away,

Suddenly, I realized the very first face I had seen

looked familiar and more real than the others in between,

I hesitate to tell who I think it resembles, even if mild

Some will say I’m letting my imagination go too wild,

Just know it gave me comfort as a “hello” from above

Because I know without a doubt, it was a message of love

Dedicated to the memory of my husband, Joseph, and it did remind me of him!

© 2026 Kathi Mirto