Autumn ignites a fiery death spiral.
Winter waits in respectful silence.
In the interim hush, the darkest nights
Herald the newborn sun.
Winter quietly steps forward as we close the blinds
And make tomorrow's careful plans.
We awaken early for work or school,
Mistaken, we're sure;
Only a Sunday morning would
Be so still.
Winter watches, amused,
As indignant surprise and rattling plows
Mingle with youthful delight and scraping sleds.
Feral cats stare at us,
Assigning blame for this outrage.
Winter sighs, depleted.
Sunlight, too brilliant for comfort,
Blossoms from the clouds in a southwest wind.
"Good thing," we remark,
In a nod to those who wait outside
The rescue mission across the street.
© Judith C Evans 2009
[Submitted to Thursday Poets Rally #46...join us!]
18 comments:
You draw a perfect winter picture here... and I suppose you have a very rewarding job requiring your attention. :)
Gorgeous analogy, filled with emotion. I easily visulized those quiet, cold, snowy winter mornings when the entire world seems to be holding its breath. Love it.
Oh my, did not see your last two lines coming. Really brings home the cold desolation of the season, and reminds us that not all are so lucky. We donate and have volunteered at our local rescue mission, and for each person with a bed, there are probably five more on the street. The mission does everything they can to feed them, but sadly cannot house them all. It is so very heart-wrenching. Thank you for this really thoughtful and thought provoking piece.
vivid capture some magnificent scenes in winter time.
Happy Rally.
:)
So glad you've all stopped by, friends. This poem was inspired by the years I spent living and working at a rescue mission in Flagstaff, AZ. I live in Texas now, where it's 100 degrees these days...I just started thinking about winter!!
The last verse tugged at my heart!
Wonderful poem, Judith!
Margie :)
As indignant surprise and rattling plows
Mingle with youthful delight and scraping sleds.
Really love the way this line flows off the tongue.
The fact you mentioned feral cats is something dear to me, so that also was very nice to come across here.
Very picturesque scene you've painted, very nice work, I enjoyed it, thanks:)
Powerful last line that caused me to reread the entire poem with a more careful eye. Well done.
Your last line was unanticipated. Well done. I enjoyed the feral cats response to winter.
Judith~
Since the high here has been about 104 each day. this evocative piece felt like a mini vacation/reprieve... for a time. You surely made me feel the weather, and then the typical reaction to the disenfranchised. Tricky. Smart.
http://www.kimnelsonwrites.com/2011/06/14/letting-go
This is absolutely breath-taking Judith, that first stanza just blew me away
Brr gave me a shiver picture of beauty and pain :)
Judith, this was wonderful & I was all caught up in the poem until you hit me with the ending...totally unexpected!
Brilliant writing!
Bless you all for your generous, sensitive comments!
When the Homeless Shelter is full,it's time to look for any overhang or under an overpass to keep out of storm's way. Wind and freezing weather brings many fatalities.
Powerful ending, Judith to a well crafted post. :-)
Thanks for reading and commenting, Dan and Becca!
A beautiful poem here. Well done on getting Poets United blog of the week.
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