The Chill of Winter

I knew it was coming

 ~ the chill of winter 

 

snow lined bare, black branches 

  left little doubt 

~ yet graceful, elegant in 

     cold foggy morning air. 

What I wasn’t prepared for?

   what do I wear outside today?

And where is everything?

  Do I wear snow boots?

It was all there…..in the closet

    ~ packed away last spring.

Bundled up, boots on ~ I walked 

 into the chill and damp of winter.

“Organizing is what you do before you do something, 

so that when you do it, it’s not all mixed up.”

~ A.A.Milne, playwriting, poet

One Tough Tulip

This yellow tulip tries to outshine 

robins, sparrows and finches 

each year from the same bed 

where west sun warms the wall. 

Never mulched against winter

unless with autumn leaves

or dried grasses, the little bulb

rests through the long winter

reappears when the warmth returns.

“Wherever life plants you, bloom with grace.”

~ French Proverb

Snow Fall

As if to convince us that 

it was still winter, 

the snow fell lightly, 

a steady east wind brushing 

it through the air. The beauty 

of a gentle winter day. But 

most of us are smart enough 

to know that after today, 

it’s time for winter to take 

its frosty flakes and go home. 

Just not today. 

I hope

“…..winter is an exercise in waiting ~ for relief, for a bird to sing, 

for the first purple crocus to push up through the snow” 

~ Michelle Obama, Becoming

*Authors note: At the risk of repeating myself, this is the third year in a row that I have used this March snow fall picture. I’m still acclimating myself from my years away in locations when March is spring time!

Somedays

 

Everyday I confront 

the edge of the world 

in this season of ice and snow. 

Somedays it is 

crystal sequins decorating 

trees, eaves, hedges and cars. 

Somedays it is 

thick bumpy ice that 

coats sidewalks and streets. 

Somedays it is 

the warm sun that melts 

and pools snow and ice. 

Somedays it is 

watching swirls of snow, 

frantically waving tree branches. 

Somedays it is 

the ever changing winter sky, 

elegant clouds in a low slung sun

          ———

Most days I stand 

on the other side of that edge 

daring myself into the frigid weather 

Most days, I dare myself to 

stay inside to muddle through 

one more winter day. 

Most days, I am willing 

to stand on that edge and 

give myself time to be.

“I believe in one day and someday and this perfect moment called Now.”

~ Jacqueline Woodson, writer

Winter Imagining

Come with me as I walk 

in the midnight of winter 

with snow falling gently 

all around, edging head 

and shoulders in flakes 

of crystal. Beware the 

ice-y flows beneath the 

soft layer of new snow. 

Stand beneath a streetlight 

and watch as the drift and 

sway of dancing snow 

partners with cold wind in 

this delicate dance. When 

noses are red and cheeks 

pink aglow we turn our walk 

into the warmth of home.

“Summer is the time for squabbles. In winter, we must

 protect one another, keep each other warm, share our strengths.”

~ George R.R. Martin, ~ Game Of Thrones 

Weathered

This a tough one 

this winter of ice and snow 

and rain and ice and snow 

temperatures dip and dive 

to really, really cold and 

climb slowly to just cold. 

I have no complaints though 

because I know 

it is only temporary. 

As temporary as clouds scudding across the sky; 

as the grass grows and then fades away til next spring; 

as the wind that is blustery and bossy one day 

and next is a mere pussy cat purring 

through the hair on my head. 

So this tough one of winter will pass, 

the excitement of spring and summer 

spread dandelion umbrellas and the fluff of poplars, 

while we say that 

the rain in spring time is too much or not enough; 

the sun in summer is too hot or too bright. 

the leaves in autumn are falling too soon

So, I say, weather is just a tough one ~ but then so am I. 

“At the end of the day, we can endure much more that we think we can.”

~ Frida Kahlo, artist

To Grip or not to Grip

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