Haiku:
聖なる雪降る
(Seinaru yuki furu) – Sacred snow descends
囁き祝う静かな社
(Sasayaki iwau shizuka na yashiro) – Whispers bless the silent shrine
冬は祈りに頭を垂れる
(Fuyu wa inori ni atama o tareru) – Winter bows in prayer

Poem:
Beneath winter’s quiet breath,
the shrines rest, cloaked in soft white snow,
each flake a whispered prayer,
each step a frozen moment in time.

Yet in this stillness,
the orange paint of pagodas and torii arches
does not fade, but glows,
a warmth against the winter chill,
like embers held in the heart of the frost.

The snow may cover,
but it cannot dim the fire within,
its brilliance a reminder
that even in the coldest of seasons,
the spirit endures, shining brighter still.