The days are short in mid December.
You have to chase light, what little
of it is left to catch.
of it is left to catch.
But without sun there is drama,
a pull to water and
sky,
sky,
the frosted tips of dead-still trees and bent, frozen grasses.
At first glance, you think, there’s so much emptiness here.
As if colorless is akin to
depression, a void wasteland.
depression, a void wasteland.
There is noise, daily noise not far away on a
highway of commuters.
highway of commuters.
There are voles, scurrying under snow mounds, trying to
punch out a living here.
punch out a living here.
Moose tracks. Your dog in a perpetual zig-zag of
ground sniffing.
ground sniffing.
Hoar frost. Old wooden beams. Steel.
You wait for the thunder of a train to rummage steel tracks over the
frozen river.
frozen river.
But your fingers and toes won’t wait long; the hairs in your nose
freeze.
freeze.
Despite first impressions, there is life in cold places.
Power. Noise.
And silence.
These are amazing 🙂
Lovely! I love your work so much!
Thank you for taking a look, Anne and Lena. It's such a pleasure to share my neck of the woods with others.
I enjoyed the poetry, but those photos are stunning. The next to last is my favorite. There's something about it that makes me want to be there — despite the cold. And the hoarfrost is amazing. I can't remember the last time I've seen that. Years. Maybe decades.
It's good to have your post. I've missed your work.
Thank you, Linda. Consistent posts have dropped off due to a big project looming, but I'm almost there. Peace and happy Christmas to you.
Really striking images . . . Here in the my sleepy northern Westchester hamlet, I have a particular fascination with winter trees, limbs exposed and the shadows they cast.
Great photos, Monica. Really unusual.
Well, i tried to post a comment, but these blogger blogs seem almost impossible to do so.
Gorgeous photos!
I love your pictures and prose, Monica. So much. Hopefully all is well with you in this mid-winter energy.
That bridge is my favorite sight on the way to the valley. What great photos! And your words capture winter up here beautifully. Can't wait to check out more of your blog!
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I love that you share this writing.
I love that you love winter.
I’ve return to this writing repeatedly in the last 3 years. This Cold Blue Steel.
So glad you’ve been in my spheres all these years.