winter – One Woman's Quest

Winter’s Invite

Winter –
the colour of my hair,
a sedentary state of being,
the numbing over of ambitions

These are all but illusions…

I am fluid,
essence flowing,
passion undaunted,
creating…

(My image)

Robin is absent
Winter’s silence
inviting retreat

Children embrace adventure
while I, behind panes,
watch fluctuations
await harbinger’s return.

(This poem was written for a challenge from my poetry circle: to write a poem without adjectives. Image my own).

Heron steps into my dream,
cachinnating…

paradigm shifts,
and I am awake

brooding over
the invasion

remembering days
we lived in tandem –

Great Blue and I –
that Texan winter

I brace for Northern cold,
and heron, on departure, laughs

(Image my own)

Ice has blown in overnight
tree branches coated,
sparkling…

… I search for a word
evasive, my fogged brain
having released so many
to the void…

“Varnish?” I ask aloud
“What’s that?” comes an answer
my son-in-law always helpful
spies my hand on butcher block

“Do you mean the finish on the wood?
That’s varnish, yes.”

“No.” I bite my trembling lip.
Indicate the scene outside the window,
the tree with its new shiny coat

“Like varnish!” he exclaims
“That works.”

“Nature’s varnish!” I proclaim

Creativity –
a sometimes bi-product
of a faulty mind.

(Image my own)

Against Winter’s pull
pines stand strong; ice drums on roof –
rhythmic ovation

Soon, Winter will seal decay
beneath snowy banks
and we’ll plant ourselves
hearth side, aiming for fortitude

I shall middle myself amid
books and paints, soldier
through the desolation,
mourn for Summer’s loss.

(Image my own)

Moody, these December skies
brooding chill interrupted
by sun’s sudden emergence

To hibernate, or brace
the wind; stiffen protectively
or inhale invigoration

Caution guides my steps
intimate with wintry passages
acknowledging that I am December…

(Image my own)

Cast my shadow over white banks
assert presence: proud, defiant

Will find beauty in deserted places
and colour in the monochrome

Haunted by a Winter state of mind
resolved to stretch despite chill.

(Image my creation)

Robin is absent
Winter’s silence
inviting retreat

Children embrace
snow-filled adventures
while I evade spills

Window watching
fluctuations, waiting
for the harbinger’s return.

(Tuesdays, I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson. Image my own)