Winter
Clouds mask the earth
cold, wet, haze
no wind
Stillness shivers, hours pass
no sun, shadows
minutes stretch
Aimlessly one after another
trees stand silent
guarding stillness
Four blackbirds seek refuge
waiting, haunting, invisible
to gloom
Endless grey encompasses all
while I caress
winter
Thoughts
Where I live snow rarely falls. Winter doesn’t bring piles of fluff, ice, or blizzards. Instead, we face endless gray days, cold and dreary. Even the birds hide to escape the dismal landscape.
But the brown, faded greens of frost-bit leaves will soon give way to blue skies, songbirds, greens, and buds of every hue.
I wait in anticipation.
Merril D Smith at dVerse Poet’s Pub challenged writers to use shiver–or some form of the word—in a poem of exactly 44 words.
And always—
Be kind. Be brave. Be you.
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Photo: “Trees Shiver” by Kathryn A. LeRoy
This is so well written, Kathryn…. I can almost see those birds.
Sincerely,
David
David, thank you for coming to read and sharing your thoughts. I’ve been studying others’ work and playing with the words on paper to improve as a writer. I’m learning to listen not just to my mind but to all my senses. With gratitude…Kathryn
There’s a tension in the stillness that you captured. Those bleak days. I’ve felt it, like the very air is waiting for something to happen.Nicely done.!
Thank you!
We have many of those days too as snow eludes us more each year. Just love the idea and contradiction of stillness shivering. You’ve really emulated the desolate feeling of winter in your words. Lovely,
Thank you. It’s always a challenge to grapple with the words and connect them to how you feel the world.
no wind
Stillness shivers, hours pass
no sun, shadows
minutes stretch
Aww, this is “the particulars and texture of the poem” that Mary Oliver tells me about. How well you captured it, my friend. Totally cool! A lovely image. Made even more special with ‘your’ photo. Tremendous.
… p.s. came here from your newsletter. Dear Kathryn, as per my last comment, this way IT WORKS! I like it this way better. Especially since this afforded to me from my phone.
Thanks so much. xoxo
To be in a sentence side by side with Mary Oliver, what an honor. We are all learners on this journey of ours both with words and the technology to share them. Thank you, friend.