Searching in the Snow

The slow footfalls muffled by the fresh snow
Trudging forward t’ward the new dawn’s pale glow
Heavy breath fogs amidst the sun’s first rays
As the man kneels upon the ground and prays

His food is nearly gone, his fuel is sparse
What water he has is an icy farce
He hasn’t seen signs of people for weeks
But forward he travels, onward he seeks

He prays to find that which the world has lost
To continue his search despite the cost
In the maw of nature he hopes to find
The still solitude the world’s left behind
The still small voice that whispers so faintly
Urging us softly to behave saintly

But here in the snow, his consciousness fading
He strains his ears against thoughts invading
He hears a voice as his awareness flees
Falling forward, his mind no longer sees

Slowly he comes round to a soft warm light
Is he dead, passed on, his soul taken flight?
Then he hears that quiet voice once again
“I almost lost you out there, you ken”

And suddenly it all made so much sense
It wasn’t out in the wild so immense
But among people who lived quite simply
The still small voice was calling him gently