She stands statuesque in the center of her crystalline world overlooking the icy formations of Mother Nature’s early wintry broken heart. A whispering breeze fluttering glittery dander from her snow covered appendages.

Leafy tresses hang glumly in the grey haze as freezing sap strains to drain from her heartwood. Owl sends his shivering down her limbs vibrating loose ice daggers which stab deadly into drifts piled at her frostbitten roots.

Yesterday Squirrel barked his chiding into her ear, but now echoed creaking of her twisting trunk against the heavy weight she must bear until the warm Sun shines his golden face upon her again.

Her thoughts turn glum as she imagined a long harsh winter and an involuntary shiver ran the length of her Magnolia trunk through to the tips of her manicured twigs.

The burdening snow loosed and much of it fell to the ground beneath her. Owl spooked lifting his prickly talons seeking refuge elsewhere.

Once again she stood, statuesque in the center of a crystalline world.