Delightful December

Last night the snow fell.

Scampering around like a family of frantic field mice,

we pulled shovels from the back of the shed,

removed forgotten items from the yard

and added twenty minutes extra to

tomorrow's travel plans 

to deal with the

"weather."

After everything was done,

I stayed to watch the snow coat the branches of the trees

until they were as beautiful as a freshly iced cake.

The plunging temperatures caused some

to pull up the collars of their coats

and stamp an annoyed dance

onto the icy ground with their heavy boots.

I chose to watch

the golden light spill from the windows

of the houses onto our street.

It looked so cozy;
all these families gathered for a hot evening meal,

while their humming furnaces
sent soft plumes of smoke

into the darkening sky.

This frozen, wet stuff...

It's just rain, really.

Is it more annoying

because it's going to stick and stay?

Surely snowflakes

are a form of enchantment;

falling, frozen stars,

light as air,

each one sculpted, unique, miraculous.

They gather here and there

with an artist's flourish

and make something new from what was old.

Or, they melt and freeze again,

allowing us glimpses into other worlds

that only winter can help us find.

Whichever way you choose

to view it,

I welcome the snow

and all its wonder.

Life In Ice

Night falls and

Curtains of ice drape the windows

Outside, feathers dance

a winter ballet

on a bone-chilling breeze

The tomb seals shut

Freezing anything

and everything that moves

Ice contains no future

Just the past, sealed away

Trapped in that moment

The ordinary becomes extraordinary

Diamonds appear out of nowhere

cut and polished

to perfection

Everything you know - 

transformed

Each precious moment -

captured

Ice

Changes the view

A world of ice

The story of life

Frozen in time

Autumn Rays

Is there such a thing as a solemn autumn?

How can that be

When trees decorate themselves with baubles

And colourful clouds

Swirl among their branches

When water glows with lights

From somewhere

Deep within

And lemon-yellow leaves wave to us

from crisp blue skies

The forest may darken earlier in the day

But lights are left on for us to find our way as the sun

Wishes us goodnight

And the Autumn winds play a song

Only the heavy-headed grasses can hear

There is no time for solemn days

When the world is painted gold.

Fellowship Of The Ferns

In the quiet of the forest

when no one is watching,

delicate ferns unfurl lacy,

fragile fronds.

With ghostly, green fingers,

they reach out

to connect,

one atop the other.

Alone,

they are a single branch.

Together,

they form a magical,

green labyrinth.

A fellowship of ferns.

Bare Beauty

Have you ever noticed a tree standing

naked against the sky,

how beautiful it is?

There is a poem, there is a song.

Every leaf is gone and it is waiting for the spring.

When the spring comes,

it again fills the tree

with the music of many leaves,

Which in due season fall

and are blown away.

And this is the way of life.

~ Krishnamurti ~

Only The Crow Knows

I'm

wondering

why that branch

the one that barely holds your weight

that leaves you tossing in the wind

until you can hold on no longer

until you fall

into the currents

of the great

white

sky.

Use Your Imagination

The colour of springtime is in the flowers;

The colour of winter is in the imagination.

~ Terri Guillemets ~