Glistening ice on
curbs and sidewalks
crumbling snow against
curbs…..and sidewalks
run off crossing corners
drains hidden beneath ice pack
sun warm and bright ~
relief on a spring day.
“Spring is far more than just a changing
of seasons; it’s a rebirth of the spirit”
~ Toni Sorenson, author
A winter of dangerous ice
hidden under greying or fresh snow,
oddly shaped lumps or
sheets worthy of a skating rink.
walks or strolls outside
not wise until yesterday.
Heavy rubber bands slip
over my boots & hold my feet.
little black dots in the centre
of the yellow dots ~ tungsten stems
to grip the ice & keep me upright
on such paths of slippery danger.
“When you’re on the ice, you have very little time,
you see very little and everything happens really quick.”
~ Steve Yzerman, retired hockey player
And in winter
give me a church made entirely of
crystalline ice and snow while I bundle
in fleece and down coats
to feel the sting and burn
of cold on my cheeks.
To flop in the snow
to sculpt snow angels
To push against a fierce wind
to get to the rink only to
hear the crisp and slice
of skates on freshly flooded ice
To catch snowflakes on my tongue
And then to run into the warmth
of my mother’s kitchen for
hot chocolate and cinnamon toast.
“There was nothing so real on the prairie as winter, nothing so memorable.”
~ Martha Ostenso, novelist
(1900 ~ 1963)
Give me a church made entirely of ….. from the poem Sea Church by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
*Author's note: A wintery reprieve from the heat of summer!
Streets were dusty brown
Ice melted and gone
A breath of calm fell
for winter’s farewell
“Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending.”
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
