Winter is hazardous. The world around my house is a sheet of ice, scattered with thin, dry snow. Windows bloom with frost, birch branches bare on the other side. I stay indoors, still stiff and sore from a fall two days ago. The dogs beg for a walk; they will not have one. Yesterday, the river complained, groaning beneath its ice-spotted skin. Ducks huddled together on stones above the surface.
even the moon
a shard
of ice
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Beautiful. Thank you for this.
Posted by: Rachel | 08 December 2004 at 06:39 PM
Your words are so beautiful, you've brought a piece of real winter to my rainy world. Thank you.
Posted by: susanne | 09 December 2004 at 11:52 AM
We often hear our rivers groaning up here, too. They creak and crack and moan under the weight of the surface ice. Breakup sounds like a jumbo jet landing close by, then crashing into another at the end of the runway. I love the sounds of winter. A sterile peace, with punctuation.
Posted by: Kate S. | 09 December 2004 at 01:15 PM
Beautiful poem. Nearly a haiku, with its seasonal sense and reflection on nature. I love to look for a sense of awareness in poetry, or mono no aware in Japanese: that transient, poignant beauty that makes me clutch my heart.
BTW, the Linda Hogan poem is the first I've ever looked at closely. I think it's fantastic. "Nothing" not just as something, but as everything.
Amy
http://livingpoetry.blogspot.com
Posted by: Amy | 09 December 2004 at 01:24 PM
Amy, Linda Hogan is very popular in Japan -- so not an unexpected choice for you. Read on!
Posted by: SB | 10 December 2004 at 11:51 AM