Nan C. Ballard

Winter Fog in High Desert

Frigid foggy fingers creep in moonlight.
Tendrils coalesce, enshroud, then tatter,
Spreading through the silent, frozen night,
Sucking warmth from those of fur and feather.

Pogonip they call it; know its menace.
Bitter death in white will take the careless.

Drifting ‘round the formless clumps of trees,
Twining ‘tween their ghostly twisted trunks,
Winter barren, floating on a sea
Of mist, like ancient, aimless junks.

Icy wisps retreat from morning sunlight
Leaving crystal gems to sparkle bright.

Nan C Ballard is a poet and novelist who made her home in the high deserts of the western US before resettling in the greener pastures of the Willamette Valley. She has published one science fiction cowboy novel titled Carico Trails, and its sequel is expected out in spring of 2021.  Her poetry reflects her interests in the natural world, rural life, and family history.