On Sun, You are a Trickster

 

                                                             Sunbeams fill the room                                                             

  Drawing attention outside  

Calling us to play  

Oh sun, you are a trickster

no warmth, winter's living on

All day long I sat in a conference room with no windows. At the end of the school day, I returned to my room. It was filled with sunshine. I happily looked out the window at the blue sky and brightness and felt a desire to be outside. The day had the mirage of Spring about it. I had a bounce in my step walking down the hallway thinking of a walk on a beautiful sunshiny Spring day. As I opened the door, I was blasted with the cold air of winter. There was a definite wind chill in the air. My Springy hopefulness was dashed by the cold slap of winter. Oh sun, you are definitely a trickster and fooled me. I guess I will have to settle for just the joy of your brightness and wait patiently for your warmth to fully arrive.

Poetry form: Tanka ( ancient Japanese form that has 5 lines and 31 syllables. (5 in first line, 7 in second, 5 in third, the 7 in forth and fifth)

Softly Still

A silent

visitor

knocked at night. 

Barrenness

transformed to

beautiful.

Awaking

to a world

softly still.

I have been waiting all winter for this to happen. Snow was forecasted to fall overnight. In previous weeks, I woke up excited until I looked out the window and saw brown-gray grass and barren tree limbs. But, this time, I woke to a winter wonderland! 

Glancing out the window, rooftops were dusted in white as well as the black pavement of streets. The grass was a blanket of white and the trees looked like someone had dipped them in confectioner's sugar.  Everything looked beautiful. The snow had turned our bleak gray and brownish into a world of white brightness. The flakes had softened the world. For the moment, everything was softly still. 

Poetry form: Tricube

3 stanzas with 3 lines each. Each line has 3 syllables.

As a Buffalo Bills fan, I think the #3 was on mind this week and last so it brought this poetry form to mind. 

A Silent Artist's Visit

 A silent artist

etches ice-

beauty on chilled glass. 

The winds were howling and whistling during this last winter storm. The bone-chilling cold could be heard as we huddled inside our house. The trees were swaying and bending but thankfully never breaking. The temperature plunged from 40 degrees to 7 degrees in a matter of a few hours. 

I was walking through the house checking on various things in preparation for Christmas. As I walked into the room where I was hiding gifts, I noticed some beautiful icy artwork on 2 of our windows. The crystals were aglow with red and white from the decorative lights on our trees below. The long icy lines were so thin and delicate. The smaller hash lines crossing them were of various lengths and looked like they had been carefully placed by an artist. This frosty creation in the corner of my window brought joy to a blustery, frigid, worrisome day.

Thank you Jack Frost for the magical silent visit to show me the beauty that could be found in today. 

Poetry form: Lune

The Lune is American Haiku. It is 13 syllables with 5-3-5 syllable count in 3 lines. It was first created by Robert Kelly  

Just like a Child

It's coming overnight.

Eager anticipation pulses in my being,

just like a child.

Morning breaks - no arrival.

My joy shrinks,

just like a child.

Rain, rain- WAIT!- is it one white flake?

Dash to the window,

just like a child.

First flakes prance through the air.

A smile plays on my face,

just like a child.

Joyful magic of season's change 

Bubbles excitement deep within,

just like a child.

The first flakes of the season were forecasted last weekend. I was excited to hear this and eagerly awaited the sight of white in the air. I know everyone doesn’t view the first snow in such a positive way and some even find it depressing.

One thing I do know for sure is that children LOVE the first snowfall. As a primary teacher for many years, I know that when the first flakes are in sight everything needs to stop. All of their attention is out the window and they are literally jumping up and down with excitement. My class gathers around the windows and just takes in the beauty and magic of the snow fluttering through the sky. It is great to just take in the joy on their faces.

As adults, I hope that we can be like young children and look on with awe as the season’s mark their change with this beauty of white. Take a moment, pause and look with open eyes.

Wondering When the Last Will Be

Each moment in your presence now,

I collect in my being

wondering when the last will be.

Joyful love always existed 

but I am awestruck

each moment in your presence now.

All that you are and bring to this world

quiet beauty, brightness, persistence

I collect in  my being

Is this the last long embrace of all held dear

or can I anticipate a soon return-

wondering when the last will be.

It is almost mid-March and a big snowfall happened during the darkness of night. The world was once again quietly turned into a stunning winter masterpiece. Trees looked like they were dipped in sugar and stood upright in a fluffy blanket of white. It really is beautiful but immediately I started wondering if this is the last time this will happen as each day we inch towards spring. I know that there are many people where I live who are tired of snow and probably felt sick looking out the window this morning. I on the other hand wondered over the possibility of the last embrace of winter and wanting to treasure this beauty that only exists during winter months. 

Besides pondering the end of fluffy white snowflakes, I am also walking through feelings of seeing my oldest merge into full adulthood and getting ready to leave his childhood home. He graduates from college in a few months and is searching for jobs in various states and cities. I am so proud of all he has accomplished but am soaking up each and every moment with him because I do not know how soon he may be moving away and not for just a semester. 

These words flowed out early in the morning. I am not sure which refer to winter and which refer to my son. The words could truly relate to both of them and maybe the focus shifts between them in various lines of the poem. But either way, I will be cherishing the moments in both situations and wondering if this is the last time for now. 

Poetry Form: Cascade

 For the cascade poem, a poet takes each line from the first stanza of a poem and makes those the final lines of each stanza afterward. 

A Poetic Round of Seasons

The summons-

winter wildflowers

waterfalls frozen in a moment.                                 

                

The birds SANG!-

two season intertwine

guardians of Spring's door.

Skyscrapers in the woods-

dance of joy

Spring serenade.

Small masterpieces-

golden warrior

the knowledge of trees.

Love in the lilacs-

Comforting coo

Beauty, gratitude, peace.

                                                                                                           Ombre blue-

innocence

stillness' illusion.

Summer lights-

embrace or wither

a square of sunshine

jewels of a storm.

Flowers= memories and smiles-

some love for shade

am I that acorn?

Caught in a glance-

beams of heaven

summer slips to September.                                                                                                               

Reiterate wishes-

behold the beauty

nature= truly me.

The beauty in an ending-

fading mask

maturing to let go.

Bathing in a forest-

beautiful or horrific?

shining delight- December sunlight.

                                                                                                    

A whispered wish-

triggered transformation

accumulating quiet.

                                                                                                        Beautiful winter blues-

a cry unfrozen

a poetic round of seasons.

I honestly can't believe that I have been posting to this blog for a year. The first post was February 15, 2021. I have walked and written through all four seasons. I hoped to have captured the beauty that nature possesses during the changing seasons in my words and photos. 

The above poem is a Found poem.  I just took the titles of my blog posts in order and the above poem is the result. I was surprised at how well the titles could flow from one to the other- well,except- Am I that acorn?

I want say thank you to...

• you, the reader. I hope you have enjoyed the posts and experiencing the awe the can be found in nature.
• Jen Knight Laffin for inviting me to Time to Write and Teach Write. You made me be able to say- I AM A WRITER! Your coaching was so valuable to me. It made me be able to put my words out into the world.
• Donnetta Norris and Teach Write for offering courses that helped me develop as a writer and specifically how to begin a blog. Donnetta - you were a wonderful teacher!
• Greg and Felicia for going on hikes with me in all types of weather. 

Thank you for reading through a year. I hope that you will continue to check in with this blog. I will keep walking, writing and sharing. 

A Cry Unfrozen

 

Another's light spurs warmth from within

Unfreezing and changing hardness

to quiet tears traversing

the formed frigid facade

of rippled shadows

along the path

to release...

freedom

.

.

.

drops

The sun was glinting off the icicles hanging in front of my window. The rays touched them bringing light as well as shadows. They were frozen beauty. As I watched, I noticed that small drops of water, maybe snow tears, were gliding down the edge of the icicle with all of its bumps, ripples and slopes. As the drops reached the tip, they clung for a moment almost afraid to let go and plunge into the unknown. Then there was the release and freedom for a few moments in freefall. 

As I watched, it struck me that we are like icicles in the sun. We may show a tough skin to the world but when another's kindness or compassion touches us, we soften a bit. Sharing their warmth, through even the smallest act or just the right words, warms us from within. This kindness can free tears that travel down our faces but also flow through the path of hardness created by hurt. Often these tears can be cathartic. After those tears dry, a new feeling of freedom or hope fills us. 

I know that I have definitely experienced this many times in my years. Thank you to those who have been the warmth to help ease my hardened heart. 

Poetry Form: Nonet - a 9 line poem that has 9 syllables in the first line, 8 syllable in the 2nd line and so on. The last line contains 1 syllable.

Beautiful Winter Blues

 

Cerulean pool

Deep depressions bloom in snow

Colors of the light

While out snowshoeing last weekend, I noticed one of my favorite winter phenomena- BLUE snow! In the holes made by ski poles, blue light glowed out across the endless white field before me. It looked like blue flowers blooming in winter. (This photo is truly what I saw last weekend! There are no filters applied. I don’t think the photo does it justice. It was much more beautiful and awesome.)

So I came home to investigate how this happens. It doesn’t happen all the time so I was curious. To paraphrase from an article on Webexhibits.org- Sunlight is white light. As sunlight penetrates deep snow, red and yellow light is absorbed  and filtered leaving the blue light. Deeper snow filters out more of the other wavelengths. That is why we see blue when we look into the depressions. 

The beautiful blues of winter!

Accumulating Quiet

Flake by flake

Hour by Hour 

Inch by inch

                        a dusting,

                        whitening,

                        a hushing.

Flake by flake

Hour by hour

Inch by inch

                        blanketing,

                        covering,

                        quieting.

Flake by flake

Hour by hour

Inch by inch

                    a hiding,

                    disguising,

                    a nestling.

Flake by flake

Hour by hour

Inch by inch

                    cocooning,

                    silencing,

                    all-stilling.

The snowstorm arrived! The world is covered in white.

It began last night. Peeking out the window before bed, there was a delicate dusting of snowflakes across the ground and rooftops. The snow was offering a lullaby to the world.

Looking out the window this morning, the dusting had grown to inches and then feet. Driveways, sidewalks and bushes were hidden by a smooth blanket of white. Cars were disguised by drifts and cascades of snow. The only sounds heard were those of snowplows, snowblowers and scrapping shovels.

The snow continued its accumulation during the day. This blanket of white brought a stillness to the regular hectic schedule of life. People cocooned in their cozy homes enjoying the joys of a snow day.  

    

Triggered Transformation

 

32 degrees

triggers transformation.

Oxygen atoms plus the four nearest hydrogen neighbors

bond in a rigid lattice

stretched with openness,

as a paper thin sheet of frozen crystals

encrusts

the pond. 

I was walking a trail the other morning, actually one of the only mornings below freezing that we have had this year, when I was stopped by the beauty of the sun reflecting off the ice (it also has been pretty gray around here).  It just made me stop and notice one of the beauties of winter that cannot happen in any other season.  

Then it made me wonder- how does ice really form? how can it form such a thin layer?  I went home and googled more information about how water turns from liquid to solid. It is a pretty amazing thing that happens with this liquid becoming less dense as a solid. The new learning I had inspired the poem above.

I love how a simple walk caused a wonder that brought me new learning and understanding. 

A Whispered Wish

A garland of white 

lays gently atop the glossy, serrated leaves 

as vivid ruby berries 

adorn the thin brown branches.

Mother Nature whispers,

“Merry Christmas” to the world. 

Finally, last weekend snow covered the ground-at least for a few hours. It looked so beautiful cascading to earth. As I paused in my wrapping, I glanced out the window. I noticed that my holly bush looked like it had been decorated for Christmas. The snow was captured by the leaves allowing it to encircle the bush. The red berries were clustered in groups adding vibrancy to the darker green. It seemed that nature was prepared to join in the joyous celebration of Christmas. 

Thank you Mother Nature for making me see the beauty in the season and the gift of recognizing the joy in small things. 

Beautiful or Horrific?

 First dusting of snow,

Beautiful or horrific?

Choose your perspective.

Recently, the first snow of the season happened overnight. In the morning, I was struck by the quiet beauty that had covered the world in the darkness. With the sun just beginning to rise, a light blue tint colored the morning. It started my day in such a positive way- being surrounded by the beauty of winter.

Upon arriving at work that morning, I realized not everyone felt the same way. Many colleagues were grumbling about the snow, cold and slipperiness. When checking my social media, the dissing of the first snow continued with total annoyance that more is definitely to come over the next few months.  I was not totally surprised by this because I know many people who live in my state do not enjoy winter at all. 

The differing of opinions showed a stark contrast. It truly is all in your perspective. Do you see it as beautiful or not? Will your next few months be filled with complaining or joy as we progress through winter? 

Well, I vote for looking for the joy in the blankets of snow and the beauty that only exists during this season! What will your perspective be?

Two Seasons Intertwine

Two seasons intertwine-

last vestiges of snow

diminishing,

            hydrating,

                        heralding,

the squishy, squelchy mud.

- Two seasons intertwine. 

A day in March can be such a confliction. Winter and Spring vying to see who can triumph.

Still cold, brisk breezes battle the sunshine warming the air and ground

Icy, slippery, shady paths compete against the inches deep, slip-slidin’ mud encased steps 

The silence of the woods tussle with the chirps and tweets of returning birds

Winter and Spring wrestle with each other throughout the day.

I choose to be a peacemaker. I will savor the last of the snow and crisp air before it fades for another year. I happily welcome with arms wide open the hopeful signs of Spring and its soon to be arrival.

No need for conflict... just conciliation.

Waterfalls Frozen in a Moment

The rushing flow of water

careening over the edge

caught in a freeze frame of motion-

turned solid 

and

no longer free falling 

into the deep pool of water below.

Solid white streams 

of ice highlighting

the magnificent beauty

of water frozen in 

time.

Shequaga Falls

It was a blue sky, sunshine day as we stepped out onto the trail. The sun on my face was a pure delight.

As we started, there was a well-worn path on the Catherine Valley Trail so we decided to give it a go without snowshoes

Well, about half way into the 3 mile walk (in one direction) that decision was a mistake! Oh, how I wished for snowshoes beneath my feet as each step took quite an effort. This was a winter workout without a doubt!

There was not a thought of turning back because the draw of 2 beautiful waterfalls and bakery treats awaited in the little town of Montour Falls. It kept me trudging one foot in front of the other while continuing to bask in the sun.

More motivation energized my steps as the sound of cars rushing by filled my ears. The first waterfall was on the side of a main road so I new it was close.

Aunt Sarah’s Falls

Aunt Sarah’s Falls was frozen in motion. It is 90 ft. in height and usually free falls in thirds down the gorge wall. It now looked like the world’s largest icicle plummeting to a frozen pool below. I just paused to partake of the sight.

Then just a short walk through this little town brought us to Shequaga Falls. This is the area’s largest falls- 156 ft. all. These frozen falls made me park it on a bench and just contemplate the beauty of nature.

Shequaga Falls

Shequaga Falls looked like a small glacier sweeping over the rocky facade of the gorge. Parts of the ice were so thin and clear that I could still see water gushing, bubbling and flowing forward beneath the surface. It was an interesting moment to see water flowing but not hear its melody.

After a 3 mile hike, I was starving and tired so we stopped at a local bakery for some delicious treats. I enjoyed a Nutella croissant and a warming cup of tea.

The returning hike of 3 miles awaited me. But I was fortified with some sweet treats, continued sunshine and amazing views of frozen waterfalls as I made my homeward trek.

Winter Wildflowers

 

Canes of brown

 bending towards 

     the clean whiteness,

Adorned with dried gray flowerettes

  at the end of

      thin, fragile shoots,

Fluffy parachute seeds

   still clinging to the

       vestiges of summer beauty.

As I followed my husband’s snowshoe tracks, I noticed a trail marking sign peeping over the edge of the inches of snow. We were on the Wildflower Trail.

I chuckled to myself- “Yeah- sure! Wildflowers in winter, I wish. Now all I will see is a blank palette of white.”

We progressed down the trail towards the ice crusted lake. Alongside our steps, brown and gray stalks shivered in the winter wind. 

I carefully stepped close to a delicate brown stem and paused. There were remnants of flowers opened wide looking like tan daisies with darker brown centers. Some even had tufts of white, fluffy parachute seeds still holding fast to the plant that produced them.

I immediately grabbed my phone to capture this unexpected beauty right in front of me. Winter wildflowers do exist and still offer beauty to those ready to behold it.

I guess that the trail is correctly named.