Sunday, January 10, 2010

the face of frost

in the chill
of a winter morning


even the rocks
bravely wear
the face
of the night's frost

~

deeper in the woods
under
a protective canopy
of snow-laden branches

the green fingers
of summer
still rest
on a boulder

29 comments:

Leenie said...

Steven: I've seen your clever and thoughtful comments on a lot of blogs I follow. Finally I've found time to visit. Your posts are outstanding. The photography and poetry of this one carry layers and layers of beauty and meaning. Well done!

steven said...

hi leenie and welcome!! thankyou very much for your generous comments here. i really enjoy preparing and sharing the posts for this blog and i am always deeply gratfified when i know that the words and images have carried their meaning through their pixillated veil. have a lovely day. steven

Anonymous said...

I am venturing out soon. I wish I could compose such compelling and inspiring words. I just might give it a try. Blessings for this day.
QMM

steven said...

qmm - but you do. enjoy this day. steven

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

Yes, as the green fingers of summer's past still rest in my heart.

Your work evokes our own creative process steven!

Golden West said...

Moss and lichen thriving in the deepest days of winter - Spring promises to be truly glorious!

Anonymous said...

We have an abundance of hoar frost here this morning. No sun. Just everything covered with hoar frost. I like the rocks or boulder in this post. It reminds me of where it has been eons ago.

Barry said...

Insightful words and beautiful photos Steven. Your ability to marry the two week after week amazes me.

steven said...

hi bonnie - i couldn't believe it when i found this boulder! surrounded by an easy foot of snow but protected underneath the boughs of a large pine tree. it would have made a really cool place to camp! have a lovely day. steven

steven said...

abe - that's what i tell my kids! imagine the journey of this boulder!!! have a peaceful day. steven

steven said...

goldenw est - now that's true optimism and hope! lovely. have a great day on the coast! steven

steven said...

barry it's the inspirations my readers provide through their comments and their own blogs that compels me to do my own very best!!!! thankyou for your kind comment. steven

Dan Gurney said...

Rocks, in my view, have sentience, are sentient beings. They respond to heat, cold, pressure, motion. Your post is a good reminder.

ellen abbott said...

Summer is there, buried under the frost waiting for it's turn again.

Shaista said...

Happy New Year Steven, I've been reading your blog and comments through this past year and am not surprised you were asked that question by Ellen :)
I love that we are both reading the Coleman Barks translation of Rumi... it is so perfect that one needs no other source of that Sufi master.
But do you ever read Hafiz or Rabia? Or Ghalib?
I love the little snowflakes falling down my screen - thankyou!

steven said...

hey dan! my dad had a huge medicine wheel on his property. he explained the role of each of the rocks and gems but it's all a blur now. it intrigues me that so many people - especially children - gather rocks. my house is filled with them courtesy of me and my girl and boy!!! steven

steven said...

i'm glad you believe that ellen as texas appears to be suffering with such cold wintry weather!!!! have a warm day. steven

steven said...

hello shaista - welcome! there was an inevitability to being asked about serenity. it was a really timely question and i valued the opportunity to reply! yes, i read hafiz and have used his writing here and on my other blog "flow". rabia and ghalib also but i am fairly certain their writing hasn't appeared on the blogs. i'm glad that you enjoyed your visit here. have a peaceful day. steven

Rinkly Rimes said...

Among all the vivid photos f whiteness your green moss stands out! Don't worry, that green will spread all across the land soon. (Not all moss though!)

Kay said...

thank you steven...all guests always welcome! xx

Titus said...

What beautifully contrasting pictures and words. I think I'm with Dan on rocks seeming sentient - or at least, filled with ancient memories.

hope said...

Ah, we green eyed folks know that green is tenacious, yet life affirming. How else can you make rocks look happy? :)

steven said...

hello rinkly and welcome!!!! the green of the moss stood out for me also although the evergreen boughs i found it under were deep deep green. moss is a favourite for me among living things and to find it in the winter is a huge bonus!!! thanks for visiting and have a lovely evening. steven

steven said...

thankyou kay!!! steven

steven said...

titus i agree that they're filled with memories. about fifty kilometres north of here is part of a massive sheet of rock called the canadian shield. it covers almost half of canada and is four and a half billion years old. it is possible to sit on parts of it that have deep striations caused by the passing of glaciers. i am awestruck even writing that. memories - imagine!!! steven

steven said...

hope yes i have green eyes and green speaks t me very clearly and deeply. rocks - well i think they can experience all sorts of things - including happiness. rocks on a warm warm day with old pine needles around their base. well they seem happy to me. steven

Linda Sue said...

Steven- YOU ROCK! So do I- Under the bed I have a collection- on the sill I have a collection- everytime I go to a new place- I pocket a stone that agrees to go for a ride in my pocket- I have them from many countries- better than buying do- dah souveniers -probably made in China ...My Dad was a lapidarian in his spare time. Rocks and bugs and snakes fascinate me more than anything, would much rather have a pebble, a beetle or a shed snake skin than a bouquet. Wouldn't anyone?

nollyposh said...

Sighhhh, i love your eye X:-)

Crafty Green Poet said...

I like the juxtaposition of the photos here, I've also been noticing certain areas of rock all clear and warm coloured that look so out of place with the snow all around,