I am a Birch Tree and this is an Ice Storm

Ice storms are eerily beautiful.

Everything is covered in a thick layer of glass

and when the sun comes out,

the light reflects off of every inch of every surface

and it's blinding

But the thing about ice storms is that they are detrimental to trees.

The ice piles on so thick and so fast and gets so heavy that the branches snap.

Back East, ice storms are not rare.

And it always hurt my heart to see so many trees broken when the worst was over.

But I always admired those Birch trees.

the bitter cold descends

the water freezes

the ice thickens

and the birch tree bends

the tops touching the ground

but nothing breaks...

I feel like a birch tree.

I can take tons of ice, and I can let it pile up

and I can bend and bend and bend.

I am a birch tree.

but the thing is....

Even birch trees break.