Sunset on Ice

By Cindion Huang ’25

Spotless, white snow covers
every inch of earth in sight,
embellished with faint shades of grey
and light trails of footsteps.

“See you! Have a good break!”
 
The setting sunlight spills over
a blanket of white, leaving crystals
of angel tears shining in the distance.
 
“Happy holidays. I’ll see you next year!”
 
When a dash of gold emerges,
airplanes mark an evanescent trail
carved across the gradient sky;
 
When a mountain of violet clouds hang
over silhouettes of trees, and the sky
speaks in a thousand colors;
 
When a flock of birds, flying south, flap
a fever orange under the horizon,
and escape this frozen world --
 
I think of all the remarkable memories,
each unique and delicate
like snowflakes,
 
intertwined into an exquisite image of time.
 
I think of all the amazing people
I was able to cherish and remember,
like the imprints of hues along the skyline.
 
I will be forever
grateful:
for everyone I met and befriended;
for all the challenges and achievements;
for the marvelous view I see --
 
and for this wonderful 2022
you shared with me.