Suddenly, the barren trees spring to life:
On every branch, roving bands of minstrels
vie to play their raucous melodies.
Then, just as suddenly, the trees erupt
into a thousand flailing fragments
that coalesce and swarm
into the wintry sky,
swooping and soaring,
expanding and contracting,
till they grow as indecipherable
as a page of ancient text
that has faded
beyond all recognition.