THE NORTHERNER by Catherine Cookson

I longed for the spring
After the winter gales,
And sleet and snow
And muddied feet;
And when it came, it
Quickly passed,
And summer followed;
And that was fleet.
Then autumn brought
Me thoughts of wind
And tangy air;
And as a dream forgotten,
I awoke to the beauty of trees,
Stark and bare,
Of branches lashed with
Sleet and rain;
Of racing cloud and raging sea;
AND MY SPIRIT ROSE AND
BID ME GREET THE WINTER,
WHICH WAS PART OF ME.